


The Viravos Office

by Thirstavos



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-03-09 12:12:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 39,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18916744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thirstavos/pseuds/Thirstavos
Summary: A Viren/Aaravos Office!AU story, inspired by the artwork of littleleafbun and AbigailSalier on Twitter.Viren is the branch manager of Belle Katolis, which was recently bought out by the Aaravos Corporation. He finds himself immediately attracted to his new CEO, who seems only too eager to indulge Viren's fancies. Irrevocably in love with Harrow, who abandoned him years ago without so much as a goodbye, will Viren finally be able to move on and find happiness with Aaravos or is their intimate relationship just a big game to the elf?One thing is certain. Viren will learn the hard way not to mix business with pleasure.





	1. Let the Games Begin

Enthralled.  
  
It was the only word that could accurately describe the emotions that devoured Viren whenever he laid eyes on their new CEO. Aaravos was the opposite of what he had been expecting. He was charismatic, kind, intelligent... incredibly attractive.  
  
There had been rumors that the new owner of Belle Katolis was cold and ruthless, so Viren had been worried when Aaravos had first come to their humble office for an inspection, but the meeting had been pleasant, albeit brief.  
  
Despite the fact that Viren was the manager, the few times Aaravos had visited their branch, the CEO had kept their encounters short, spending time with the other employees instead. Viren was grateful for that small mercy, though. Even the sound of Aaravos' voice was enough to turn him on.  
  
Which was why he was having a difficult time getting through this meeting. Viren crossed his legs and squeezed them together tightly, desperately trying to stop blood flowing into his groin. He wiped the sweat off his brow and glanced around the room, hoping no one had their eyes on him, as their CEO went over the sales targets for the new quarter.  
  
He knew he should have been paying attention, but Viren was focused on the way Aaravos' suit jacket followed the curves of his body with perfect tailoring. How someone had such broad shoulders and a waist so slim was beyond Viren. He bit his lower lip, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, as his eyes threatened to burn a hole into Aaravos' shoulder blades.  
  
Another voice drew Viren's attention and he regretfully pulled his gaze off of his CEO, looking at the one who had forced Aaravos to temporarily stop his melodious speech.  
  
Their top salesman, Runaan, had asked a question, which Aaravos had answered patiently, praising Runaan for thinking to voice such a thoughtful concern. The gentle smile that their CEO aimed at Runaan caused a jealous pang in Viren's chest. He wanted Aaravos to look at him like that. To praise him. Reward him.  
  
A soft moan escaped his lips before he could stop it.  
  
Viren noticed a small twitch in Aaravos' right ear and his head tilted ever so slightly, but the CEO continued on with his lecture, torturing Viren with his voice.  
  
Gods, he needed this meeting to end. He had to get to his office where he could privately deal with his problem. His heart was pounding and his body was begging for release.  
  
Just when he thought he would be driven mad, his team stood and started to leave the conference room. Viren's eyes darted to Aaravos, who was gathering up his papers on the table before him. If Viren hurried, he might be able to escape the room and return to his office without Aaravos noticing him leaving.  
  
Before Viren could stand, Aaravos spoke, "Viren? A word?"  
  
Viren swallowed the dry lump in his throat and cleared his throat. He tried to answer, but his voice seemed to have abandoned him.  
  
"Close the door," Aaravos ordered.  
  
Viren hesitated but stood. There was no way he would be able to hide the bulge in his pants if his CEO turned to face him. Walking to the door, Viren tried to think of excuses for his hard-on, but his mind was blank. The only thing he could think about was that he was alone in the conference room with the man who had him completely under his spell.  
  
The door clicked shut and before Viren even had the chance to turn around, Aaravos said, "Is there something I can help you with?"  
  
Viren's body trembled. He glanced over his shoulder, keeping his torso facing the door, and asked, “Wha-what?"  
  
"Did my lecture bore you, Viren? You kept fidgeting in your seat.”  
  
"No," he answered, weakly. "I..." He fell silent, not sure how he would explain why he kept shifting in his seat. His grey eyes shifted to the door handle and he considered dashing out of the room without giving him an explanation.  
  
Aaravos was suddenly behind him and Viren's breath caught in his throat. The CEO pressed his body against Viren's, resting his chin on his subordinate's shoulder. His fingers slid down Viren's torso and stopped just before he reached the bulge that was throbbing now.  
  
“Tell me, Viren. How may I serve you?" Aaravos whispered into his ear.  
  
Unable to stop the wave of pleasure that coursed through his body, Viren leaned against the door and squeezed his eyes shut. His breath was coming out in short gasps and his face was hot with desire. His body shivered as Aaravos' fingers undid the button on his pants.  
  
“Wa-wait!” he pleaded, eyes opening wide.  
  
Aaravos pulled away, much to Viren's disappointment. Risking exposing himself, Viren turned and felt his heart nearly stop. Aaravos was standing before him, one arm across his chest, holding his elbow and his other hand was resting on his chin. He was examining Viren, a large predatory smile on his face.  
  
"You look like you are struggling, Viren. Let me help you."  
  
Viren hesitated, wondering if this was some sort of practical joke. Aaravos might be teasing him, but it was a risk Viren was willing to take. So he nodded, consenting to whatever Aaravos was willing to do to him.  
  
He let Aaravos unzip his pants and turn him so his ass was pressed against his CEO's groin. Viren let out a groan as Aaravos slid his fingers over the tip of Viren's trembling cock.  
  
"Fuck," he moaned, leaning forward so he could support himself against the door.  
  
Aaravos started to rub his hand along Viren's shaft, slowly at first. Teasing him.  
  
"Ngh," Viren flinched. "Faster," he ordered.  
  
Aaravos' grip around his cock tightened, making a wail escape Viren's lips.  
  
"Everyone will hear you, Viren," Aaravos admonished, putting his other hand over his subordinate's mouth. A finger slipped between his lips and Viren's tongue wrapped around it.  
Encouraged by Viren's desperation, Aaravos started to rub his dick again. Harder and quicker.  
  
Viren bit down on Aaravos' finger, which stifled his moans. He was close now. Aaravos' fingers were moving expertly over his flesh, as though reading and understanding every reaction Viren's body gave him-- even the slightest tremor.  
  
Aaravos' hand stopped as Viren buckled forward, cum exploding onto the wooden door of the conference room. The CEO backed away, a hum of satisfaction filling the room.  
  
Viren panted against the door, looking down at his own fluids. What the fuck just happened? He half expected to wake up at his desk, but the longer the moment lingered, the reality of the situation became clear in his mind.  
  
Zipping up his pants, Viren stood. He looked at Aaravos, face red from embarrassment.  
  
The CEO pulled his handkerchief from the breast pocket of his suit jacket and wiped the finger that was wet from Viren's drool. There was an arrogant grin on his face that drove Viren mad with lust.  
  
"That is all, Viren. You may go."  
  
Viren scowled, feeling his embarrassment turn into shame then anger. "That's all?" he demanded.  
  
Aaravos gave him a crooked smile, tilting his head in amusement. "What else do you want me to say? I am pleased with your performance? Keep up the good work?" He started gathering his papers again, as though nothing had happened.  
  
Viren stood there awkwardly for a moment, not sure if he should apologize for his behavior or ask his superior what the hell he had been thinking. Instead, he simply turned and opened the door.  
  
He immediately felt Runaan's gaze turn to him, a knowing look on his face.  
  
Without a word, Viren walked into his office and shut the door. He rest his head on his desk and let out a deep sigh. His mind kept replaying the intimate scene over and over.  
  
Enthralled. It was the only word that could describe his feeling towards his new CEO. Aaravos had Viren enchanted and, surprisingly, he was perfectly content with that.


	2. A Gift

Viren walked into the lobby of his office building with a sigh. He had been meeting with clients all day to go over the new ordering methods that Aaravos had rolled out at the beginning of the week. The numerous meetings had left him exhausted and all he wanted to do was file his reports so he could go home for the evening.  
  
It had been three weeks since his awkward encounter with Aaravos and neither one had addressed the intimate act in the conference room. They had exchanged the occasional email, acting as though nothing had happened after the meeting, and even had a brief conversation on the phone, which Viren had to end rather abruptly to deal with a situation.  
  
He hated how the sound of Aaravos’ sultry voice was enough to make him hard.  
  
Viren loosened his tie and stepped into the elevator. It was uncomfortably hot in the building— or maybe it was just him, as the haunting memory of Aaravos’ voice filled his mind. Viren longed to hear it in person again. Longed to be touched again.  
  
He shifted his feet, trying to think of anything besides how good it felt to have the elf’s fingers intimately stroking him.  
  
The elevator doors slid open and Viren stepped into the hall. He walked into the work office and stopped short at the sight of the unfamiliar person behind the circular receptionist’s desk that was right next to the entrance.  
  
“Good afternoon, sir!” the stranger said brightly, standing behind the desk.  
  
Viren noticed the painted black nails immediately and let his eyes wander up the young man’s arms. He was wearing a black hoodie that had a logo on it that said crow master and depicted the image of said bird holding a letter in its talons. A dress code infraction that Viren would have to address later.  
  
“Who are you?” Viren demanded, taken aback.  
  
The young man’s smile faltered and he let out a nervous laugh, pushing his hand through his brown hair. “Uh, I’m the new receptionist, sir. My name is-”  
  
“-What happened to the old receptionist?” Viren interrupted.  
  
He greatly disliked change.  
  
The young boy looked around, alarmed and someone cleared their voice behind them. Viren turned, seeing Runaan standing at his desk, a few feet away from the receptionist’s workspace. He walked over and handed a document to the young receptionist, who took it without hesitation.  
  
“The old receptionist is on a leave of absence, Viren,” Runaan explained. “Do you not remember?”  
  
Viren searched his memory and a vague recollection of a going away party surfaced to his mind. He had opted to stay in his office, where he could pull up the photos of Aaravos on the company website and jack off without the fear of interruption while the others partied.  
  
He was never one for parties— or goodbyes.  
  
“Uh, of course, I remembered,” Viren muttered then turned his attention back to the young man behind the desk. “You’re a lot younger than the last receptionist. Do you know how to transfer calls and send a fax?”  
  
The young man nodded vigorously. “Yes, sir! I assure you that I completed my training and am eager to prove myself.”  
  
“Good,” Viren replied, pulling a stack of files out of his briefcase. He slammed them onto the counter and ordered, “I need you to fax all of these reports to Aaravos immediately, Crow Master.”  
  
He noticed the surprised look on the young man’s face then turned away, briefly meeting Runaan’s eyes before heading to his private office.  
  
“Um, sir, my name isn’t Crow Master, it’s—”  
  
Viren slammed the door closed before the young man finished, disinterested in him until he had earned the same sort of respect Viren held for the last receptionist.  
  
Just as he sat down in his chair, there was a knock on his door. Viren rubbed his temples in frustration, but granted permission for his subordinate to enter.  
  
Runaan opened the door, stepped inside, then closed it behind him. There was a deep frown on his face as he sat in the chair on the opposite side of the room. For a moment, he simply watched Viren, entwining his fingers together on his lap.  
  
“What is it, Runaan?”  
  
The elf leaned forward, a questioning look on his face. There even seemed to be a hint of concern in his usually stoic expression.  
  
“Are you feeling alright, sir? You seem to be out of sorts since the last meeting with Aaravos.” He fell silent, eyes narrowing so slightly that Viren nearly missed it. “The poor kid had been so eager to meet you and now he thinks you hate him.”  
  
Viren shrugged in response, despite feeling a tad bit guilty for taking his stress out on the new hire. “I’m fine,” he reassured, turning on his computer. A picture of Aaravos was still on his desktop, those piercing golden eyes staring back at him.  
  
“Forgive my unsolicited advice,” Runaan started. He shook his head and stood, straightening his white tie with the silver moon clip near the bottom. “But you really should be careful around Aaravos. Beautiful faces have an easier time hiding ugly souls.”  
  
Viren merely stared up at him for a moment, feeling that familiar sense of shame every time he thought about how pathetic he must have looked, writhing at Aaravos’ touch. Then he forced a weak smile to his face and murmured, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
  
Runaan let out a deep breath and went to the door. His fingers curled around the metal handle and he replied, “My mistake.” He pulled open the door, but lingered inside the office.  
  
“He was here, by the way,” Runaan said, quietly. “Aaravos,” he clarified, though it had been obvious who he had been referring to. “He seemed disappointed you weren’t here and supposedly left a message for you on your desk.”  
  
Viren’s lips parted and he glanced around, wondering where this message might have been put. He lift some of the papers that were stacked neatly on his desk, but there was nothing but his own work.  
  
“Where did…” he started to ask, but Runaan had left Viren’s office and was now back at his own desk. Frowning, Viren kept searching.  
  
He pushed back his rolling chair, checking under his desk. There was only the trash bin that he had moved there to catch any cum that managed to leak through the tissues when he masturbated to the photos of Aaravos after everyone had gone home for the evening or during the day, when Viren was certain he would be undisturbed for a handful of minutes. He was careful not to make a mess after the nasty note the cleaning crew had left him the day after they had to clean cum off the conference room door.  
  
Thinking there actually was no message, Viren was about to give up. He pulled open the top drawer of his desk, assuming there would only be office supplies within, so he was surprised when he saw a small black box amongst his pens.  
  
Viren paused, anxious to see what he would find inside, but reached for it anyway. Holding his breath, he pulled off the lid and exhaled sharply. Inside the box was a purple silicone ring with a note attached that simply said, “For next time”.  
  
Viren slipped the lid back on and shoved the box back into the drawer, feeling his face burning with embarrassment.  
  
His eyes drifted over to his computer, desperately trying to keep his mind off of the cock ring in his desk. It was then that he noticed a new video file on his desktop. Curiosity got the better of him and he clicked twice on the thumbnail.  
  
At first the screen was black, but then the darkness of Aaravos’ startouched hand moved away from the webcam, exposing his perfect face. A smile spread across his face and he leaned in closer to the camera.  
  
His lips pulled back then puckered slightly as he whispered, “Viren.”  
  
The reaction was immediate. His hands clenched together as his dick hardened from the glorious sound of Aaravos speaking his name in such an intimate way.  
  
“Fuck,” Viren groaned, covering his face with a hand. With only a moment of hesitation, he picked up his phone and hit the receptionist’s button.  
  
“Um, hello? Sir? How, uh, what can I do for you?” the self-conscious voice of the young man floated through the receiver.  
  
“I need you to do me a favor, uh, Crow Master,” Viren said, regretting not waiting to hear the young man’s actual name. “Tell everyone to go home, immediately. Yourself included.”  
  
“Immediately, sir?”  
  
“Yes. A reward for all the hard work,” he replied, eyes wandering to the video thumbnail on his desktop. He shuddered, unable to contain his excitement.  
  
“Uh, yes, sir. I will do my best,” Crow Master answered. “Um, good bye?” There was a click as the young man hung up the phone.  
  
Viren watched as his employees left, one by one. He counted, making sure everyone was gone before he unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants.  
  
He dragged his computer mouse back to the video file and hit play.


	3. Unexpected Visit

Despite the fact that it was nearly summer, the warehouse was chilly with the loading bay doors opened. There was a faint mist that crept along the cement floors from the forest just beyond their property line. It was going to be a beautiful day.  
  
“What’s up, Dad?”  
  
Viren turned with a frustrated sigh. “Soren, how many times have I told you not to call me dad while we are at work?” he asked, rubbing his temples in an attempt to fight off the oncoming headache.  
  
His son lift his eyes to the warehouse ceiling, an ill-fitted expression of concentration on his face, and he used his fingers to keep track of a count.  
  
“That was rhetorical, son,” he muttered, with a shake of his head. From the blank look on Soren’s face, it was obvious that he had no idea what rhetorical meant, but Viren let the topic slide.  
  
The truck was filled with crates of the season’s new beauty products, waiting to be delivered to stores all across Katolis. Their sales had nearly doubled since Aaravos took over the company, but that was no surprise. The elf seemed to have a way of selling their products simply by existing. Apparently, Viren was just one of many to be caught under Aaravos’ spell.  
  
There was a jealousy inside of him whenever he heard someone speaking about how attractive Aaravos was or how sexy his deep voice was. Viren knew he had no right to feel possessive over the elf, but he wanted to be the only one Aaravos thought about, just like how Viren’s mind thought of nothing else.  
  
“Dad?” Soren said, waving a hand in front of Viren’s face, bringing him out of his thoughts. “I asked if that’s all. Corvus is ready to take the delivery once you give the go ahead.”  
  
“Hm? Oh, yes. Just double check with, uh, Crow Master if any other orders were processed late last night,” Viren answered, examining the cargo on the truck to make sure none of the boxes had been crushed during packing.  
  
“Dad, you still don’t know his name? It’s been almost two weeks,” Soren cried, incredulous.  
  
Viren glanced at him in annoyance. “What? It’s awkward to ask now. I figured I would overhear someone else in the office say his real name, but everyone has been calling him by that ridiculous nickname I gave him.”  
  
Soren shrugged, losing interest in the conversation. “I’ll check with the Crow. You should head back upstairs, though. I think you have a visitor.”  
  
Viren followed his son’s line of sight and felt his breath catch in his throat. Aaravos was standing at the top of the stairs, watching them from above with interest. His suit jacket was unbuttoned and his hands were in his pant’s pockets. The way his shoulders were pulled back, emphasized the broadness of his body, making the elf even more intimidating than usual.  
  
When their eyes met, Aaravos gave Viren a pleasant smile that felt like a punch to the gut. It was as though he was marching to his doom as he ascended the stairs, drawing closer to the being that had unknowingly been torturing him for just over a month. Or, perhaps, Aaravos knew exactly what he was doing to Viren and that’s why he had left him the video on his computer?  
  
The video that Viren watched at least three times a day.  
  
He knew every word that Aaravos had spoken by heart now. Viren could copy every movement that the elf had made, frame by frame. Even the small details were vivid in Viren’s mind, like the way the leather chair gave a gentle squeak as Aaravos sat in it or the way his golden tie caused the black dress shirt’s collar to flip up as the elf slid it off.  
  
Forcing those images out of his mind, Viren tried to calm the rapid beating of his heart and offered what he hoped came across as a smile that mimicked the one on Aaravos’ perfect face.  
  
“Aaravos. To what do I owe this surprise visit?” he asked, noticing the slight tremor in his own voice. He cleared his throat, trying to banish the anxiety he was feeling.  
  
The elf leaned forward on the railing of the stairs and slowly turned his gaze back onto Soren. His head was cocked to the side with consideration, and he gently tucked a strand of white hair behind his long, pointed ear.  
  
“That is your son?” Aaravos inquired, ignoring Viren’s question.  
  
“Yes,” he answered. “Soren. My daughter, Claudia, works here as well. In accounting. I can assure you they are both competent workers. Soren’s brawn is a great asset in the warehouse and Claudia is a brilliant bookkeeper.”  
  
Aaravos held up a hand to silence him and gave him a sideways glance. “I trust that they are adequate team members. I was just unaware that you had a family.” He was quiet for a moment then straightened, turning to face him. “Does their mother work here as well?”  
  
Viren was taken aback by the question. His mind raced with painful memories— some were of wonderful moments, but the majority were of a time he longed to forget.  
  
“No,” he replied, quietly. “She left a long time ago.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
Viren shifted uncomfortably, hanging onto the railing of the stairs as though he might collapse without the extra support to keep him standing. It was odd speaking to Aaravos about something so personal. The two of them were practically strangers, but at the same time, Viren felt a deep connection to the elf that he had never experienced before. A bond that told Viren he could trust Aaravos— confide in him. He only wished he had a general idea about how Aaravos felt about him in return.  
  
“Things just didn’t work out,” he answered with a helpless shrug. “We were different people, who wanted different things out of life. I don’t really know, to be honest.”  
  
Aaravos nodded, tucking his hands back into his pants’ pockets. They stood in silence for a moment, but the air between them felt relaxed, rather than awkward.  
  
“Did you enjoy my message?” the elf asked, suddenly.  
  
Viren’s mouth immediately twisted into a scowl and he glanced around, making sure there was no one within earshot. “No,” he snapped. “It was entirely inappropriate.”  
  
Aaravos chuckled.  
  
It was a melodious sound that left Viren breathless.  
  
“Surely, no more inappropriate than letting the owner of the company service you in the conference room?”  
  
Viren growled, looking around again. “That was…” He fell silent, knowing there was nothing he could say to excuse or justify that situation.  
  
“How long had it been since you had last been touched?” Aaravos pressed, taking a step closer.  
  
Viren glared up at him. He was used to looking down at people because of his above average height, but Aaravos stood a few inches taller than him, which made Viren feel even more powerless against his entrancing beauty.  
  
Ignoring the intimidating height difference, Viren growled, “That is none of your business. I should be reporting you to HR.”  
  
The threat seemed to amuse Aaravos, an even wider smile spreading across his face— one that caused his eyes to light up, as well.  
  
“Shall we go speak to Gren together then? I am certain he would be interested in hearing all about the events leading up to this conversation.”  
  
Unable to offer much of a retort, Viren put his hand on the small of his back and stood tall, trying to hide his discomfort. “Why are you here, Aaravos? I am a busy man and I have work to do.”  
  
The elf motioned his head towards the door behind them. The one that would lead them back into the office. Without exchanging words, they walked together towards Viren’s office.  
  
Crow Master gave them a wave, a dorky grin on his face. Viren frowned, hoping his CEO would excuse the young man’s unprofessionalism. Though, Crow Master’s reaction to seeing the two of them approach was better than the angry glower that Runaan was sending in Aaravos’ direction.  
  
“Good morning, sir! Good morning, Mr. Aaravos,” Crow Master shouted, excitedly.  
  
Ignoring him, Viren opened his office door, letting Aaravos step inside before entering the room himself. He shut the door and drew the curtains for privacy. When he turned to face Aaravos, he felt the pace of his heart quicken once more.  
  
The elf was looking down at the leather chair behind Viren’s desk and the memories of the video message forced their way into the forefront of Viren’s mind.  
  
He could see the recording so clearly in his mind.  
  
_Viren_ , Aaravos had whispered into the camera. The black suit jacket had slipped off his shoulders and was hung delicately over the back of Viren’s leather chair. Then the elf had sat down, slowly, deliberately loosening his tie to the point where he could easily pull it free.  
  
_Do you think about me, Viren?_ Aaravos had asked into the camera as his fingers undid the top button of his black dress shirt. The second button came loose. Then the third.  
  
It was then that Aaravos licked his bottom lip, head tilting to the left.  
  
_I think about you. About touching you again._  
  
The fourth button of his dress shirt came free and his fingers delicately pulled the fabric apart, exposing his startouched chest. The first time Viren had watched the video, he had been surprised by the black and gold symbol on his chest. The dark void where his heart was. It seemed to transfix him, pulling Viren’s very soul into the darkness.  
  
“Do you still have my gift?” Aaravos asked, freeing Viren from the memories of the video he had become addicted to.  
  
His cheeks flushed and he nodded, eyes drifting down to the top drawer of his desk. Many times, he had tried to throw the black box into the trash bin under his desk, but each time, he thought about the note that said For next time, and placed it back where Aaravos had left it for him.  
  
“Have you tried it out?” the elf asked, gracefully lowering himself into Viren’s chair.  
  
“No,” Viren admitted. “I’ve never used something like that before.”  
  
Aaravos rested his chin in his palm and smirked. “Do you remember the last question that I asked you in my message?”  
  
Viren swallowed. How could he forget the way Aaravos’ fingers had trailed down his torso or the shiver of pleasure that wracked his body as they caressed the flesh hidden behind the fabric of his black, pinstriped pants? He could hear the soft pant that escaped the elf’s lips, as his golden eyes met the camera.  
  
“Do you want to touch me, too?” Viren answered in barely more than a whisper. He had heard Aaravos ask him that many times and Viren’s response was always the same.  
  
Aaravos pulled open the drawer then placed the black box on the desk. He lift the lid off the box and picked up the purple silicone ring. Holding the ring up so he was looking at Viren through it, he asked, “And? What is your answer?”  
  
“Yes.”


	4. Put a Ring on It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaravos and Viren get down to business...

Insanity. There was no other way to describe Viren’s current state of mind. Aaravos’ presence had driven him into insanity. From the very first time Viren had laid eyes on him, the startouched elf was the only thing he could think about— the only thing he wanted to think about. 

Viren lowered the phone with shaking hands. They were actually going to go through with it, and, if Crow Master did his job, no one would interrupt them under any circumstances. Still, to be safe he started to walk over to the door to lock it, but Aaravos’ voice made him stop.

“No,” he said. “Leave it.”

“But anyone could walk in,” Viren protested. 

The large smirk on the elf’s face made Viren’s stomach turn. Aaravos leaned back in the leather chair, laying his hands over the armrests. The way his legs parted made Viren forget about what they had been discussing.

“It’s more fun that way,” Aaravos answered. The smile fell from his face and he ordered, “Come here.”

Viren glanced at the lock on the door, but obeyed his CEO. He stood in front of the elf, shifting in uncertainty, and his eyes drifted down to the cock ring on his desk. Everything about this situation terrified him, but, gods, did he ever want it. 

Aaravos was the second man Viren had found himself infatuated with. The first had been Harrow. They had known each other for many years, becoming extremely close. It had been because of Harrow that Viren had even started working for this company. His life fell apart after his divorce and Viren was in desperate need of a better paying job to take care of his children. Harrow had offered him a position as a salesman here, which he gladly accepted. 

Over the years that they had worked together, their relationship began to deteriorate. Viren was still uncertain why they had drifted apart, but the last time he had spoken to Harrow, an irrevocable wedge was driven between them. And then, Harrow was gone. Transferred to a different branch without any warning and Viren was promoted to manager. 

It took Viren quite some time to recover from the loss of his best— and only— friend. He held no ill-feelings towards Harrow, though. But their broken relationship was a cruel reminder that people always ended up disappointing him, one way or another, and that had been the day that Viren stopped letting people into his heart.

Until Aaravos.

Though, if he was being honest with himself, Viren had no idea how he felt about the elf before him. There were no feelings of love, like there had been for Harrow. No. This was a different sort of attraction. Strictly physical. A primal lust.

Aaravos considered him for a moment then commanded, “On your knees.” 

Viren hesitated, but lowered himself in front of the elf. He chewed the inside of his lip, not sure what to do next. Fortunately, Aaravos seemed prepared to guide him. 

“Take it out.”

With trembling hands, Viren unbuckled the designer belt and carefully tugged it free from the loops around Aaravos’ navy blue pants. He fumbled with the dark button at the top of the waistband then pulled the zipper down. With a deep breath, Viren reached behind the silk briefs that Aaravos was wearing. His startouched flesh was hot.

Aaravos inhaled sharply as Viren’s hand enclosed around him. He gently pulled it out of the underwear and his eyes widened. The elf had yet to get hard, but he was already so big. Impressive size aside, Viren found himself staring at the beautiful member, noticing the way the flesh around the shaft seemed to go from light to darker near the tip, and the way it seemed to glitter in places, like the stars in the night sky. 

Viren wanted to taste it, so he put his other hand on Aaravos’ thigh and leaned down. His tongue dragged itself over the head and Aaravos’ hand gripped Viren’s hair tightly. Ignoring the discomfort from the elf’s grip, Viren moved his head lower and licked the base of Aaravos’ cock, which was starting to swell in response to the intimate touch. 

“Devour it,” Aaravos ordered, tugging on Viren’s hair.

He flinched from the rough contact, but nodded. His lips went back to the tip and Viren opened his mouth, taking the cock into him. He let it slide in until it hit the back of his mouth and, for a brief moment, Viren felt like he might gag. Pulling his head back, he started to suck on it, trying to get a better taste of Aaravos’ flavour.

The elf moaned, putting his other hand on the top of Viren’s head. He gently guided Viren back and forth in a slow motion, grip tightening as his dick hardened.

Viren tried to pull away. The erection was too big for his mouth. It was stretching his jaw out.

“No,” Aaravos said, forcing Viren’s head back down. He let out another moan as his strong hands pushed and pulled Viren’s head up and down in a quick motion.

There was nothing Viren could do to fight the motion. He merely gripped onto Aaravos’ suit pants as the large cock shoved its way down his throat. Faster. Harder. 

It felt like Viren’s throat was being ripped apart. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, taking the abuse without protest.

Finally, Aaravos let out a cry and his cock trembled in Viren’s mouth. A hot liquid struck the walls of his throat then filled his mouth as the elf pulled his dick out from between Viren’s lips. A silver, glittering cum was excreting from the tip of Aaravos’ cock.

Viren swallowed once, the hot juice tickling his throat. Then he swallowed again, trying to clear his mouth of the fluids, but some managed to leak through his lips, dribbling down his chin. He sank to the ground, letting his arms fall to his side and started up at Aaravos. 

The elf was panting in his chair, a look of absolute satisfaction on his face. His golden eyes drifted down to Viren and he smiled. He leaned forward, holding Viren’s face in his hands then licked the cum off of his chin. 

“Well done, Viren,” he purred. “Now it’s time for your reward.” The elf tucked himself back into his briefs and zipped up his pants. Then he gently pulled Viren back onto his feet. “Get onto the desk,” he instructed.

“What?” Viren asked, barely audible from the rawness in his throat. 

Not bothering to explain, Aaravos picked him up and set him down so he was sitting on the surface of the desk. Without waiting for Viren to recover, the elf tugged the human’s pants and underwear off his hips.

Viren shivered from pleasure as those strong startouched fingers wrapped around him. The elf held up the cock ring and gave him a grin that almost seemed sadistic.

“You can’t take it off. Only I can. Do you understand, Viren?”

He nodded. He would do anything the elf asked of him. 

The ring slipped on without much resistance and Viren looked down at his dick, embarrassed by the much smaller size. If Aaravos was disappointed in Viren’s size, he showed no sign of it as his mouth enclosed around the plain cock. 

Not expecting the euphoric wave that rushed through his body, Viren let out an alarmed wail. He pitched forward, hands gripping onto Aaravos’ shoulders tightly. Viren was hard within seconds and the ring pinched the base of his cock tightly.

“Fuck,” he groaned, eyes widening as Aaravos began to suck. His breaths came out in short gasps and it felt like he was losing all control of his body. Viren’s back arched and his hands moved up into Aaravos’ beautiful hair. 

The elf bit down gently. Another cry burst from Viren’s mouth and his fingers curled around Aaravos’ horns. Viren watched through vision blurred with tears as those horns moved up and down, matching the rhythm of pleasure coursing through Viren’s body.

He was going to cum. He wanted to. His body was climaxing, but there was no release. 

“Aa-Aara,” he gasped, body burning with rapture. “The ring,” he tried. The ring needed to come off so he could cum, but Aaravos ignored him. 

Instead of taking the ring off, Aaravos looked up at him and stuck a finger into Viren’s mouth. Then a second. The human licked them, lost in the ecstasy of the moment. He was disappointed when Aaravos retracted them after only a short moment.

His eyes went wide again as the elf’s wetted finger forced its way into Viren’s asshole. His body shrank into itself from the pain, but after a few seconds, the only thing he felt was intoxicating bliss. 

Unable to support himself, Viren lay back on the desk. “Fuck,” he moaned again, putting an arm over his eyes. He felt like he was going to die.

Aaravos’ second finger slid into Viren’s ass and his body buckled. His back arched then fell back against the desk as Aaravos’ mouth continued to encompass his cock and his fingers spread open his asshole. 

“Aaravos, please,” Viren begged. “Take it off.”

The elf slipped his fingers out of Viren’s hole and pulled his lips away from his throbbing dick. His flesh was red and painfully swollen. 

Aaravos smiled down at him, seemingly satisfied by the sight of the writhing human beneath him, he pulled the ring off.

Viren flinched as waves of cum burst out of his cock. His body went limp against the desk as the relief of release hit him. The fluorescent light in the ceiling above Viren flickered as he stared up at it, unable to move his body.

The elf leaned over him, setting the ring on Viren’s exposed stomach. “You did well today, but next time I’m not going to be as kind.”

Viren forced himself to sit up, panting. He was glad that Aaravos had liked him enough to want another go, but his words concerned Viren. Not as kind? What did the elf have planned for him?

Aaravos straightened his tie and retrieved his belt from the floor. He slipped it back on then smoothed out his hair. His sharp, golden eyes examined Viren for a moment then he lift a finger in the air. 

“I almost forgot. I have another gift for you.”

Viren watched him in concern, but was surprised when the elf pulled out a slip of paper from the interior pocket of his suit jacket. He took it from Aaravos’ fingers.

“My private phone number,” the elf explained. He started walking to the door and added, “Feel free to call me whenever you have a situation you might need help with.” He winked then opened the door just enough so he could slip outside.

Viren slid off the desk as the door clicked shut, feeling disappointed that Aaravos had left so abruptly. He pulled up his pants then looked at the phone number on the small piece of paper. His fingers crumpled it into a ball then held it over the trash bin, where it hovered for a minute.

With a sigh, Viren smoothed out the paper and tucked it into his suit jacket pocket. Who was he kidding? Aaravos was like a drug to him and his addiction was only growing stronger.

He was going to need that phone number. Probably sooner than he cared to admit.


	5. Reported

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting with Gren in HR because the walls are thin and Viren was loud.

Everything about Gren annoyed Viren. The way his strawberry hair was swept to one side. How there always seemed to be a natural blush across his cheeks. That alarmingly charming smile.

There was nothing amusing or pleasant about the conversation so the grin made Viren angry, but he had to remain calm while Gren continued to lecture him about workplace practices.

His words were meaningless and Viren found himself counting how many freckles the man before him had scattered across his face, ignoring whatever nonsense he was spouting.

“Viren? Are you listening? This is serious,” Gren asked, smile faltering. He shuffled his paperwork delicately in his hands then pulled out a page, which he held out for Viren to take. 

He snatched it and glanced at the words on the page. 

“I, insert name, understand the severity of my actions and admit to, insert action, while on company time.” He looked up at Gren and tossed the paper onto the HR rep’s desk. “This is ridiculous,” he muttered. 

Gren leaned forward in his seat, looking up at Viren in a conspiratorial manner. “Viren,” he started in a whisper. “You had sex in your office on company time and some of your employees heard you.”

Viren rolled his eyes and rested his cheek on his knuckles. “It was just oral,” he muttered. 

He knew exactly who had launched the complaint. Viren had been fairly loud and Runaan’s desk was just outside of his office so it would have been easy enough for the elf to overhear them.

“Fine. Just give me the papers and I’ll sign them,” Viren ordered, wanting nothing more than this conversation to be over and done with.

Gren picked up the page that had been discarded in annoyance and handed it back to him. He pulled a pen out of the wired basket that housed all of his stationary and clicked the top of the pen down. 

“You do know that I am going to have to send these reports in to the higher ups?” he asked, holding the pen out in front of him. 

Viren grabbed the pen, keeping his thoughts to himself. None of the reports mentioned Aaravos as being the second member of the guilty party and Viren wondered if the CEO would let him take the fall alone. The pen tip hovered over the paper for a moment. If Aaravos failed to defend him to Human Resources, he could lose his job. 

“That bastard,” he growled, printing his name on the page.

“I’m sorry?” Gren asked, confusion clear in his tone. 

Viren ignored him and printed preforming and receiving sexual favours on the line that told him to insert the actions he was accused of. He signed his name on the bottom of the page then set both the pen and paper onto Gren’s desk then stood.

“Is that everything? I have a lot of work to do.”

Gren shook his head, crossing his legs as he sat back in his chair. There was a thoughtful expression on his face that annoyed Viren even more. 

“I know we are merely work colleagues, but I want you to know that if you need someone to talk to, you can come to me.” He flashed Viren another one of his trademark smiles. “I have been told that I am a great listener.”

Viren scoffed, but the malicious laugh died rather quickly, as he realized that he may need someone to talk to. His relationship with Aaravos confused him. Viren was definitely sexually attracted to the elf, but he had no idea why Aaravos had indulged him. 

He thought back to the video where Aaravos had said he wanted to touch Viren again, but it was impossible that his CEO was attracted to him, as well. Viren considered himself plain in every way. There was nothing handsome about his appearance. He was raising two teenagers alone, employing them at his own branch, while homeschooling them at night. 

He drove a car older than Soren, when the vehicle decided to actually work and his apartment was barely big enough for the three of them. 

What about him was there to like?

“Um, thank you, Gren,” Viren replied, with genuine gratitude. “I will keep that in mind.” He smiled weakly then left the HR office.

Runaan was watching him from the other side of the room, no doubt wondering how the meeting went. His eyes followed Viren as he walked over to him.

“My office, please,” Viren requested, motioning to the opened door. 

The elf seemed hesitant, but entered Viren’s office then sat in the chair closest to the door. 

Viren shut the door behind him, but left the shutters on his window open in case rumours had already begun to spread about what Viren does when the blinds are closed. 

“Viren, listen,” Runaan started, but Viren sat down in his chair, looking at the elf with a glare that suggested it would be better if he remain silent. 

“You reported me to HR, Runaan. An infraction like this could cost me my career.” He sighed, softening his expression. “But I understand why you did it and I apologize if my poor decision caused you discomfort.”

Runaan raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the apology, but offered no other response.

“It won’t happen again,” Viren assured him. 

The elf nodded, but his expression betrayed his true feelings. He was unconvinced by Viren’s words. 

“Your personal life is no business of mine, sir, but I have to admit that I was hoping you would take my advice before it was too late.” He stood, putting his palms down on Viren’s desk, and leaned forward so their faces were merely inches apart. “You’ve caught the attention of a startouched. I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation you have gotten yourself into.”

Viren felt his throat grow dry and shook his head. Though he worked with elves and spoke to them on a daily basis, their culture eluded him. He knew a little bit about the moonshadow race, but Aaravos was the only startouch elf that he had ever seen. Viren had no idea what it meant to be with one. He just knew that his body craved Aaravos like the air he needed to breathe in order to live.

“If you know what is good for you, you will cut off any ties you have to Aaravos before things get worse,” Runaan pressed. He straightened and his lip curled in disgust. “Open a window. It still reeks of sex in here.” Then the elf stormed out of the office, slamming the door closed behind him. 

Viren clenched his hands into fists. Here he was, trying to make amends, and Runaan had the audacity to speak to him in that tone? Runaan was his subordinate. He should consider himself lucky that Viren had decided not to terminate his employment.

Forcing himself to calm down, he pushed back his chair. There was dried cum on the ground.

With a growl, Viren paged Crow Master, asking him to bring a bucket of hot water and cloths to his office. While he waited, he pushed open his office window and took in a deep breath of fresh air. Runaan had been right. His office did smell rank.

Viren hated when Runaan was right.

There was a soft knock on the door then Crow Master entered. He set the bucket down on the ground with a relieved sigh then placed the cloths on the desk. 

“There you go, sir,” he said, brightly. “Is there anything else that I can help you with?” 

Viren glanced over his shoulder at the young man. “That’s all, Crow,” he answered, remaining by the window. 

“Did you spill something, sir? I can help you clean it up?” Crow Master pressed, causing Viren to bark out a laugh. 

He walked over to the young man and put a hand on his shoulder. “I appreciate the offer, but I think it might be best if I clean this mess up myself.”

Crow nodded, but refused to leave the office. “Um, sir? I know you don’t really like me, but a few of us from the office are going out for dinner and drinks tonight, and I was wondering if you might want to come with us.”

Viren pulled his hand off of the young man’s shoulder and reached for the cloths on his desk. “I don’t think that is appropriate. I’m your boss. Not your friend.”

The look of disappointment on Crow Master’s face filled Viren’s heart with guilt. The young man nodded again and turned to leave the office.

“Crow. Wait,” Viren ordered. He let out a deep breath. “I’ll go. I’ve already been written up today. What’s the worst that can happen?”


	6. Drinks and a Treat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viren drowns his sorrows his drink and searches for some... dessert.

The pub was so loud it was nearly impossible to hear the conversation at the table, which suited Viren just fine. He had been the last to arrive and the only available seat was at the end of the u-shaped booth, next to Runaan. Viren had tried to sneak away, unnoticed, thinking it better not to possibly antagonize the elf any further today, but Gren had spotted him and beckoned him to join. 

Reluctantly, Viren took his place next to Runaan and immediately flagged down a server to bring him a drink. 

“You should eat something first, Dad,” Claudia said, leaning forward, across the table. 

Viren rolled his eyes, but felt his lips curl into a small smile. “I thought I was the one that was supposed to tell you what to do, daughter.”

She chuckled and folded her arms on the table. “You do. But, occasionally, you need someone to boss you around, too.”

“Oh really, now?” 

Runaan laughed loudly, interrupting their conversation. Viren looked in the direction of the elf’s eye line and groaned. His idiot of a son was trying to balance the pepper shaker on his nose. Naturally, the moment he let go of it, it fell over, hitting him in the eyes, while spilling pepper directly into his pupil. He let out a cry of pain, putting his hands over his eye. 

“Here,” Corvus said, placing the salt shaker in front of Soren. “I hear salt really helps when you spill pepper into your eyes,” he snickered. 

To his horror, Soren went to pick up the salt. He knew his son was more brawn than brain, but this seemed like a new low.

“Soren. Corvus is teasing you again,” Claudia shouted, stopping her brother from dumping a handful of salt in his eye. “Try rinsing your eye with milk, Sorbear.” She poured a bit of milk onto her cloth napkin and held it out for Soren to take.

“Thanks, Clauds,” he murmured and placed the napkin over his eye, which was turning red from irritation. 

“Aw, Claudia. You’re no fun,” Corvus chuckled and patted Soren on the back rather roughly. 

Viren gave Claudia a questioning look. She never drank milk at home so it surprised him to she that she had ordered herself a glass. 

Noticing her father’s stare, Claudia smiled and said, “I noticed Soren eyeing the pepper shaker when he sat down. Thought he might try something stupid and figured it was best to be prepared.” 

The server set Viren’s drink down in front of him, which he immediately downed and ordered another before the server had time to turn away. 

“Actually, bring me two shots,” Viren ordered, ignoring the judgmental stare his daughter was giving him and the way Runaan’s arm had brushed against his as the elf turned to look at him.

“You don’t normally come to our weekly dinners, Viren,” Runaan noted, watching him with curiosity burning in his eyes. “What made you come tonight?”

Viren reached for the glass of water that was set on the cardboard coaster in front of him, refusing to meet the elf’s stare. “Crow invited me,” he answered. “Oddly, this was the first time I got an invitation and the first I am hearing about these apparent weekly gatherings.”

Runaan cocked his head to the side, turning his attention to Claudia. “You never asked him to join us?”

She shook her head. “I told Soren to make sure he invited Dad.” 

All three of them looked across the table, where Corvus, Opeli, Marcos, and Gren were all watching Soren perform his newest trick of how many hot peppers could he shove into his mouth at once. 

“Hm,” Claudia grunted. “I can see my mistake now.”

The conversations turned to personal lives after Soren nearly vomited a mouthful of jalapeño and Viren suddenly realized just how out of place he was. Everyone seemed to know one another quite well. It was like stepping into a room, where everyone was engrossed in a film that was nearly over. He understood little of what anyone was talking about so he merely sat in silence and threw back drink after drink until the loneliness he felt was dulled. 

“Hey, we should get a photo,” Claudia suggested, reaching into the satchel that was resting by her legs. She pulled out her phone. “To commemorate Dad’s first dinner with the crew.”

“No, that’s quite alright, Claudia. I don’t want my picture up on _Photogram_ ,” Viren protested, waving his hands in front of his flushed face. He was feeling buzzed, but was lucid enough to know it would look bad if anyone from the company saw him socializing with his subordinates outside of company time. 

There were boundaries that a boss should have with his employees, Viren thought to himself. His mind instantly wandered to Aaravos. Some boundaries should never be crossed. 

“Oh, lighten up for once in your life, Viren,” Runaan teased, nudging him with an elbow. The elf chuckled. The scent of alcohol was strong on his breath and his cheeks looked as flushed as Viren’s felt. 

Now that he looked around the table, everyone seemed to be intoxicated— save for Claudia, who had been nursing the same glass of milk for the past hour. She held up her phone and smiled.

“Everyone say Katolis!” she shouted then took the photo. 

Viren’s eyes wandered across the bar, searching for the server. He caught her attention and held up a finger, indicating he wanted one more drink before calling it a night. Then he looked at the rest of the table, who were all staring at their phones. Viren’s eyes fell onto Runaan’s screen. Claudia had uploaded their photo already.

“Viren, you have a _Photogram_ account?” Runaan demanded, showing him the tag on Claudia’s post. The elf tapped the screen, following the link to Viren’s account. It took only a few seconds for Runaan to burst out laughing. “What is this?” he asked, showing Viren his own account.

“What?” Viren snapped, looking at the photos he had been uploading sporadically over the years. He had been proud of the collection of photos he had been building  
  
“Viren, it’s all photos of cute animals. Oh, sorry. There are a few lovely portraits of trees,” Runaan answered, scrolling through Viren’s feed. “There isn’t a single photo of you or your friends on here.”

Despite the fact that Viren had no one he really considered a friend anymore— after Harrow had abandoned him—, he laughed. He offered Runaan a shrug as a response and replied, “No one wants to this this ugly mug on the internet.”

“Give me your phone,” Runaan commanded, wiggling his fingers greedily. 

“Why?”

“Come on. Just give it to me,” he pressed. 

Against his better judgment, Viren pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and entrusted it to the elf. Runaan opened the _Photogram_ app then wrapped an arm around Viren’s shoulder, leaning in uncomfortably close. 

“Would it kill you to smile, Viren?” Runaan whined. “It looks like someone feed you a sour lemon.”

Viren ran his hand through his hair. “This is stupid,” he muttered, looking down at his lap. He hated how he looked in his phone screen— especially next to the attractive, young elf.

Runaan’s body pressed against his and he let out a disappointed sigh. 

“Come on, Viren. Smile for me,” Runaan whispered into his ear.

Viren looked up and forced another laugh from his lips. “Why the hell not?” he replied and allowed a grin to spread across his usually stoic face. There was a click as his camera took the photo and Runaan brought the phone down to the table, hitting the upload button.

“There,” Runaan said, handing Viren his phone. The elf had posted the photo onto Viren’s account before he had the chance to delete it, but once he saw it, Viren had to admit that it was a nice photo. They both looked genuinely happy in it and, though Viren believed he was nowhere near as attractive as the naturally beautiful elf, he sort of liked the way he looked.

“You have a nice smile. It’s a shame you don’t utilize it more often,” Runaan mumbled into his ear. 

Viren cleared his throat and tucked his phone back into his pocket. The compliment embarrassed him, but it also warmed his heart to hear. 

The server brought over the shot Viren had ordered, but before she moved on to the next table, Runaan asked her to bring two orders of a drink that Viren had never heard of before. The elf must have noticed his curious gaze because he smiled and explained, “It’s a strong elven ale. Tastes like molten lava.”

It was only then that Viren realized Runaan still had his arm around his shoulders and he stared up at the elf, wondering why he was being so friendly. Was Runaan one of those drunks who got clingy after one too many? 

Viren drank his shot, feeling it hit him hard. His head felt light and he knew that if he tried to stand, he’d collapse back into his seat. That last shot had been a bad idea.

The loud laughter around the table was giving him a headache. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Runaan asked, hand slipping off his shoulder and onto his back.

Viren nodded, rubbing his temples. “Yeah,” he replied. “Just think I drank too much.”

“How about I take you home after we have those elven ales?” Runaan suggested, rubbing his back in a circular motion.

Viren let out a quiet moan. The sensation felt good. Comforting. The longer Runaan rubbed his back, the more pleasurable it became. It caused his stomach to tighten and he could feel himself start to get hard.

The server set two steins down in front of them and Runaan pulled his hand away, unaware of the effect his tender touch had on Viren. He picked up the ale and looked at the human, raising an eyebrow, expectantly. 

Trying to force away the thoughts of the back rub, Viren lift the stein and clinked it against Runaan’s in a toast. He drank as much of the drink as he could in one go, but the moment his tastebuds absorbed the liquid, he spat the drink out.

Claudia hurried out of her seat, wiping away the spit that had managed to reach her from across the table. “Dad!” she cried, horrified. 

“Ah! This is my fault. I should have known his human tongue wouldn’t be able to handle an elf’s ale,” Runaan chuckled. He set his stein down and practically scooped Viren up into his arms. “Come on, Viren. I think you’re done for the evening.”

Viren wanted to apologize to Claudia, but his head was spinning to the point where he had no idea which was was up, let alone who any of the odd human and elf-shaped blobs were.

“I’m so wasted,” he chuckled and felt Runaan’s strong arm wrap itself around his torso.

“It’s okay. I’ll get you a cab and make sure you get home okay,” Runaan told him, softly. 

The next moments were a haze. Viren had a vague recollection of getting into a car with the elf and trying to explain where he lived to the man who looked like a potato in his drunken state of mind. 

A hand pressed itself against his forehead and Viren ran his fingers through the long, white hair of his cab companion. “So soft,” he murmured and straddled the elf’s thighs.

“Viren? What are you-”

Viren silenced him by dragging his tongue along Runaan’s neck until he reached the base of the elf’s ear, which he gently bit. Too much talking. Too much noise. He just wanted things to be quiet so his headache would go away. 

Runaan’s hands rested on Viren’s hips, fingers digging into the soft skin of Viren’s ass. He shuddered as the human’s tongue prodded his eardrum and Viren pulled away, breathing heavily. He lowered his body so he was sitting on the elf’s lap. 

Runaan was hard. 

Encouraged, Viren started rocking back and forth, rubbing himself against the elf’s hard-on. 

“Ngh,” Runaan flinched, squeezing Viren’s butt tightly with one hand, while his other gripped onto the back of his jacket tightly. Viren grabbed the hand that was on his back and pulled it up to mouth. He started to suck on the elf’s long fingers then licked them in desperation.

“Lord, you’re so hot when you’re horny,” Runaan managed a breathy whisper.

Viren was oblivious to his praise, lost in the delight of rubbing their cocks against one another in the back of a cab. But he wanted more. Their clothes were in the way.

Runaan moaned and reached up, cradling Viren’s face in his palms. He pulled him down, kissing him, but Viren immediately pulled away. Instead he lowered his head to nip at the nape of Runaan’s neck.

The elf let out another sharp moan, hands dropping down to Viren’s chest.

“Please,” he gasped, rubbing against the elf as hard as he could. He needed more. He needed to be touched. “I want you to touch me, Aavaros.”

He was abruptly shoved away. 

“Stop the cab,” Runaan ordered. The vehicle slowed then came to a stop. “Here’s the fare for the drunk. I’ll take a different car,” he said as he climbed out of the cab. He slammed the door shut without another word and the vehicle started moving again.

Viren sat up, licking his lip, which had cracked when he was violently pushed into the door. He was confused why Aaravos had rejected him like that and turned to ask Runaan what he had done to offend the startouched elf, but he was the only one left in the cab, besides the driver.

“That’s odd. Excuse me, Mr. Driver? Did you see where my other friend went?” Viren asked.

“No, sir. Afraid not.”

Viren sat back in his seat with a frown. Runaan had disappeared on him and Aaravos was angry for no apparent reason. What a terrible evening.

The phone in Viren’s pocket gave off a soft chime, indicating that he had a new notification. He clumsily pulled it free and looked at the tiny camera icon in the top corner of screen. Dragging his finger down, he clicked on the app link and saw that he had a new follower on _Photogram._

It must have been Runaan.

But it was a different name than the one he had expected. 

_AaravosOfficial is now following you._


	7. Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaravos visits Viren to announce that he will be gone for awhile and makes a promise that both thrills and terrifies Viren.

The office was empty when Viren stumbled into it early the next morning. He had considered calling in sick, but the longer he delayed the necessary conversation with Runaan, the harder it would be to initiate. 

His memory was a little fuzzy after the elven ale, which he discovered acted as an aphrodisiac to humans when he had looked it up at the breakfast table. Viren needed to know if Runaan had been aware of the side-effects of the drink or if it had been an unfortunate mistake. Either way, Viren would have to apologize his actions.

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he sat in his chair, fighting down the memories of the way he had straddled the elf’s thighs and gyrated against Runaan’s groin. 

“Ugh,” he groaned, stretching his arms out over the surface of his desk. The worst part about the evening had been the confusion reaction from Runaan. 

Viren sat back up and brushed his lips with his fingers. He was certain that Runaan had kissed him, but the memory was faint— distorted. For all Viren knew, it might have been part of a dream that he had during the night. 

He pulled out his phone and brought up the photo of the two of them at the pub. After their encounter in the cab, he doubted that they would ever look that happy around each other again.

A vague recollection of an important notification floated to the front of his mind. Viren went to his activity thread and saw the new follower message, eyes lingering on the username. After a moment’s consideration, Viren pressed the _follow back_ option and went to Aaravos’ account.

A low whistle passed through his lips when he saw the incredibly high follower count. Though, as soon as Viren started scrolling through the photos, he could understand why the elf had over half a million followers. 

High fashion photographs aside, there were gorgeous photos of places all across Katolis and even some in Xadia. Aaravos must constantly be traveling. 

And alone.

Nearly every photo— save for a few professional photoshoots— were selfies the elf had posted of himself at these gorgeous sites. Though he had smiles in the pictures, Viren found himself wondering if Aaravos felt lonely with no one to share those moments with.

There was a soft knock on Viren’s door and he glanced up.

“Aaravos?” he exhaled, powering off his phone before he was caught browsing the elf’s feed. A sense of dread bubbled up in his stomach. Though there was no one at the office yet, someone could walk in on them, which would be horrible enough, but that someone could also be Runaan, which might make mending their professional relationship impossible. 

“I wasn’t sure if you would be here yet, but I am glad you are,” his CEO answered. 

To Viren’s surprise, Aaravos stayed by the door. There was an apologetic expression on his face as he said, “I took care of the complaint that went in to HR so you don’t need to worry about any follow-ups with that.” He paused, waiting to see if Viren would offer him a word of thanks. 

Considering it was Aaravos’ fault to begin with, it was only right of him to fix things so Viren merely offered him a stern nod in reply. 

Aaravos bit his lip, casting his eyes down to the floor. “I apologize, Viren. It was wrong of me to put you in such a situation.” He walked over to the desk and leaned against it. 

Viren’s eyes drifted up Aaravos’ body, noticing every fold in the fabric of the elf’s navy suit and the way his tie drifted slightly to the left against his lilac dress shirt. Viren’s hands tightened against his chair’s armrest. He wanted to rip that dress shirt open and touch that beautiful black void on the elf’s chest. 

“I just wanted to let you know that I am going to be away for a week,” he said, nonchalantly. 

Viren met his gaze. He felt both relief and regret at the thought of not being able to see Aaravos for at least a week. Though he craved the elf before him, their odd relationship— if you could even call what they had a relationship— was only causing trouble for him. A week apart could help Viren clear his head and forget about how good Aaravos could make him feel.

He cleared his throat. “I see,” Viren replied. “Well, then. Have a lovely trip.”

Aaravos frowned and leaned back even further, getting a better look at Viren’s face, which was stoic— betraying no sort of emotion. He let out a sigh then pushed himself off the desk. 

After a moment of silence, Aaravos said, “It looks like you had fun last night. Your daughter, Claudia? She tagged the company account in that group photo of your team at the bar.”

Viren merely stared at him, not sure why Aaravos was bringing this up. Part of him was scared that Runaan had filed a formal complaint via e-mail last night.

“I was surprised,” Aaravos admitted, folding his arms across his chest. “I didn’t think you were the sort to go out for drinks with your subordinates.”

“I’m not,” Viren replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “Not normally, anyways.”

Aaravos’ eyes searched his face. His stare was so intense that Viren wondered if the elf could read his mind or see into his very soul. 

“You and Runaan,” he began quietly. “You posted a photo of the two of you together, looking quite close. Are the two of you…”

Viren blinked. The way Aaravos’ feet kept shifting and the way his fingers were strumming against his arms, combined with the hesitance in his voice almost made it seem like the elf was jealous.

Before he could stop it, a laugh burst from his mouth, making Aaravos jump. The idea was ludicrous. Aaravos could have any lover he wanted, and probably had plenty. There was no way he would be jealous over the idea that Viren and Runaan might be seeing one another. 

His amusement faded. Unless… Did Aaravos really like him?

“Uh, no,” Viren replied. “I’m not interested in Runaan that way.”

Aaravos smiled, pleased by that answer. “I see.” He walked over to Viren, placing a hand on his shoulder. Then he leaned in, whispering, “As soon as I get back, I am going to fuck you so good that no one else will be able to satisfy you.” He pulled away, smirking down at Viren, whose face was completely red. 

The elf straightened his tie and walked to the door. “You might want to deal with that,” His eyes went down to the bulge in Viren’s pants. “before your team arrives.” He gave him a wink. “See you in a week.”

Then he was gone.


	8. Compromise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viren has to deal with the fallout of his drunken mistake, but will Runaan be willing to forgive him?

Viren washed his hands and looked at his reflection in the mirror. The sight of his flushed face made him feel ashamed of the man he had become since Aaravos had come into his life. Sure, he had masturbated before the elf had taken over the company, but never at this rate and never at work. Now, it was a struggle to get through the day without jacking off at least once and his evenings were even worse.

“Damn elf,” he muttered and dried his hands with the towel hanging by the door. 

The office building was still fairly empty by the time he returned to his desk. Gren was walking towards the back annex, holding a cup of coffee in his hand. He let out a loud yawn.

The Crow Master was surprisingly already at the receptionist’s desk, getting his station set up for the day. 

“Good morning, sir!” Crow shouted, making Viren flinch from the obnoxiously loud greeting. “You are here early. I thought for sure you’d stumble in later in the day after the amount of drinks you had.”

Despite the annoyance Viren felt, he smiled warmly and replied, “Good morning, Crow. When Runaan comes in, can you please send him in to my office?”

“Sure thing, sir.” 

The wait felt painfully long. Viren tried to concentrate on the reports before him, but his eyes kept wandering to the window, where he could see Runaan’s empty desk. He still had no idea what he wanted to say to the elf or how to even bring the subject of last night up without making things awkward.

The moment Runaan stepped into his office, Viren wished that he was still waiting, feeling completely unprepared for this conversation. 

“Please, close the door,” he ordered then motioned to the chair opposite him once Runaan had completed the task. “Sit.”

Runaan sat in the chair, a disgruntled sigh passing through his lips. His eyes kept moving away from Viren’s stare and he shifted uncomfortably in the chair. 

“About last night,” Viren stared, but paused when he saw the fierce glare that Runaan was giving him. “Can we talk about what happened?”

The elf scowled, crossing his arms in a defensive manner. “What is there to talk about? You mistook me for your startouched lover and sexually assaulted me.”

Viren’s eyes widened in alarm. “Now, wait a moment,” he demanded, feeling his anger boiling over. “You were the one that gave me an aphrodisiac and lured me away from the others.”

Runaan let out a hiss, leaning forward. “So, what? You’re implying I was trying to force myself on you? _You_ were the one that climbed onto _my_ lap, Viren.”

His cheeks burned with embarrassment. “You and I both know that I wasn’t in a right state of mind,” he protested.

They both let the room fill with silence, as the building tension in the air threatened to suffocate them. The conversation had already taken a turn for the worst and they had barely begun to talk. 

Finally, Runaan exhaled and broke the silence. “I want to request a transfer.”

Viren’s heart skipped a beat. 

"What?” he gasped, staring at the elf in disbelief. “You can’t be serious. You’re this branch’s top salesman. I can’t afford to lose you, Runaan. There must be something I can say to make this up to you or something I can do to make you stay?” he pleaded, leaning forward, over his desk. “A raise? More clients? A higher commission percentage? Name it.”

Runaan shook his head, frowning. He rest his chin on his fingers and considered Viren carefully. There was a twinkle of greed— or perhaps victory— in his eyes, as he spoke.

“There is something I want,” he replied, softly, and stood. He reached out and caressed Viren’s face. “I want to finish what you started.”

Viren hit his hand away and pushed himself out of his seat. “What are you talking about?” 

The elf bared his teeth in frustration. “You know what I’m asking for, Viren. You gave yourself so easily to Aaravos, but you hesitate with me? Am I not good enough for you?”

“Th-that’s not it at all, Runaan,” Viren argued. “We have known each other for quite awhile now and I value your friendship too much to jeopardize it with casual sex.”

The hostility in Runaan’s body vanished and he looked at Viren in disappointment. 

“I like you, Viren. I never made advances because you always pointed out how much you disapproved of relationships between co-workers, but you threw that out the window the moment Aaravos set foot into this office. It angers me to see you with him.”

Viren was shocked by the declaration. He had never picked up on Runaan’s feelings and a wave of guilt washed over him.

“I… I’m sorry, Runaan,” Viren whispered, genuinely apologetic that he had caused the elf so much pain with his careless actions under Aaravos’ influence. He swallowed the guilt and added, “But, I consider you my friend. Nothing more.”

Runaan breathed in deeply and nodded, unable to speak. He rubbed his arm, looking down at the floor for a moment, while he collected himself. Then he looked back up at Viren. 

“Very well,” he said, weakly. “Then I formally put in a request to be transferred.”

“Request denied,” Viren answered, immediately.

Runaan’s jawline flexed in anger, as he gritted his teeth together. He glared at Viren then growled, “Then, I quit.”

“I refuse to accept that,” Viren replied, shaking his head. 

The elf slammed his fists against the table. “You can’t forbid someone from quitting, Viren! I can’t stand to be around you so you either let me transfer or I will walk out of here right now and will never come back.”

Runaan glared at him as Viren carefully weighed his options. The human took a step forward. Paused. Then took another step. Another. He closed the distance between them and took one of Runaan’s hands gently into his. 

“I told you. I can’t afford to lose you,” he muttered and kissed his palm. “I’ll give you what you want, but just the once. Will that be enough to get you to stay?”

Runaan was unable to hide the surprise he was feeling, but his reaction was the opposite of what Viren had been hoping. Instead of accepting, the elf shoved him away, roughly.

“You’re the worst, Viren,” he snapped and stormed out of the office, slamming the door shut on his way out.

Viren flung the door open and ran after him. “Runaan, wait!” he shouted, not caring if the others in the office overheard them. “You can’t go! We need you here. I need you.”

The elf stopped, willing to listen. 

Viren circled around him. 

“Please,” he begged, desperation evident in his tone and expression. All he could think about was the way his ex-wife had packed up her bags and left him. How Harrow had disappeared without even saying goodbye. He should have known that Runaan would eventually abandon him, as well. 

“Stay, Runaan,” Viren pleaded, putting his hands on the elf’s chest.

Runaan sighed in defeat and covered Viren’s hands with his own, fingers curling around the human’s shorter digits. “How can I say no when you look at me like that?” he demanded.

Viren’s eyes widened with hope. 

“I’ll stay,” Runaan said, but before Viren could reply, he continued. “On one condition. You will stop seeing Aaravos. No more private meetings for casual sex. You will end whatever is going on between the two of you. Do you understand?”

Viren hesitated, but nodded. 

“I can do that,” he said, hoping he sounded confident because he was anything but. Viren enjoyed being touched by Aaravos— lord, did he ever enjoy it—, but his branch truly did need Runaan. Without his sales numbers, they could be closed down. Viren would have to seek pleasure elsewhere.

“Good,” Runaan said and turned around, walking calmly to his desk. He sat down and picked up his phone to start making his daily sales calls.

Viren noticed the stares of nearly everyone in the office and cleared his throat. “Show’s over. Everyone, get to work.”


	9. It's Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viren follows through with his promise to Runaan and tries to end things with Aaravos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene was inspired by Abigail Salier's art found here: https://twitter.com/AbigailSalier/status/1122661954995261440

Claudia poked her head into her father’s office, a worried frown on her face. “Are you working late, Dad?” she asked.

Viren glanced up at her, rubbing his forehead in a futile attempt to get rid of his headache. “Yes, I’m quite far behind in paperwork so I will be here for a little bit longer. Make sure your brother does his studies for the evening?”

The concern only seemed to worsen in his daughter’s expression. She opened her mouth to say something then closed it. He knew that she would eventually speak her mind, so Viren waited patiently. 

“Dad? You’re okay, right?” 

He nodded. “I’m fine, Claudia. Really. Just need to get caught up in my work.” His eyes fell onto the stack of paper, ending the conversation without another word. 

“Yeah. Okay. I’ll see you at home,” she said and closed the door behind her. 

He was the only one left at the office now and he let out a sigh of relief, enjoying the peace and quiet. It had been a long day, but after he had more or less settled things with Runaan, he had kept himself busy with the work he had been neglecting.

Viren had only thought about Aaravos a few times throughout the day, but it was mainly how he was going to fulfill his promise to Runaan without jeopardizing his job. 

His phone rang, making him jump. Viren picked it up, thinking it was probably Soren or Claudia calling because they forgot their house keys at work again, but was surprised when the caller spoke. 

“Good evening, Viren,” Aaravos’ unmistakeable voice floated through the receiver. “I’m glad you are still at the office. An early start and a late finish? Such a hard worker.”

Viren’s voice failed him. Even though he had spoken to Aaravos that morning, he felt a swell of relief by the phone call. That relief quickly turned to dread, as he realized he would have to tell Aaravos that he wanted to have a strictly professional relationship with him. Well, wanted was the wrong word. What Viren wanted was for Aaravos to come to his office and fulfill his promise to fuck him.

“Viren? Are you still there?”

“Yes,” he managed, tapping his pen against the stack of papers. “But I have a lot of work to get caught up on,” he admitted. 

There was an amused chuckle on the other end of the phone. “You better get to it then before your boss finds out.”

A smile tugged its way onto Viren’s face and he set his pen down on the paperwork. “Where are you?” he asked, wanting to keep the conversation going so he could delay having to tell Aaravos they had to stop their intimate game.

Aaravos sighed. “I’m in Del Bar for the next couple of days. It is freezing cold over here,” he grumbled. “Have you ever been?”

Viren shook his head, despite Aaravos not being able to see him and pulled out his phone. He brought up the Photogram app and went to Aaravos’ feed. Sure enough, there was a picture of him standing in front of the famous western mountains, bundled up in a navy blue parka with brown fur around the hood. There was a smile on his face, but Viren could see the discomfort in the elf’s golden eyes. 

“No,” he answered. “I never really had the opportunity to travel before I got married. Then the kids made it even harder to get away.” He realized how that came across and added, “But I love my children. I don’t regret having them. There will be time to travel when I’m older.” 

Aaravos was quiet on the other line then he asked, “Would you like to come with me next time?”

It felt like someone had punched him in the gut. All of the air burst from his lungs at the prospect of traveling with Aaravos. Being alone with him every night.

Viren managed to bring in a short breath then exhaled deeply. “I can’t,” he answered. “I have responsibilities here that I can’t just—.”

“Tell me what they are and I will take care of them,” Aaravos interrupted.

The human looked down at his phone, wishing that they could be talking in person instead. He longed to breathe in the elf’s natural scent that reminded him of freshly trimmed grass just before a rainfall, with a hint of campfire smoke, and the musk of ancient books. 

“Aaravos, please. I need to get back to work,” he murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. This conversation was starting to get him aroused so he needed to end it before it was too late. 

“Fine. But first, I need you to check your _Photogram_ messages.”

Viren’s eyes drifted down to the phone on his desk. Sure enough, there was a new message in his inbox, which he clicked on. A video of Aaravos opened. The elf was laying down on his bed, bare chested. 

“What are you wearing?” the video Aaravos asked him.

Viren swallowed, looking down at his clothes; his white dress shirt, the loose tie around his neck, his dark suit pants. 

“So?” Aaravos purred into the receiver. 

“I’m serious, Aaravos,” Viren choked, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. “I… have to work.”

The elf laughed and replied, “You sound troubled.” There was a moment of silence as Aaravos listened. “Are you touching yourself, Viren?”

He grit his teeth together, fingers sliding out of his pants. How had the elf known? Had Aaravos managed to pick up on the slight tremor in his voice?

There was a soft chuckle in his ear and Viren gave in to his wants, gently stroking the base of his dick with his fingers. He let out a small moan.

“You’re disgusting,” Aaravos sneered into the phone. “Send me a video. I want to watch.”

Viren growled, “You’re sick, Aaravos.” Though he said that, Viren put his office phone on speaker and he pulled out his cell. He turned the camera on, pulled his cock out of his pants then started to stroke it. It felt odd filming himself and he wondered if Aaravos actually wanted to watch him or if the elf had been teasing. 

“Viren,” Aaravos gasped. “All of your moaning is making me hard.” He let out a deep groan then whined, “I don’t want to wait a week to taste you again.”

A wave of pleasure wracked Viren’s body and he slumped back in his chair, breathing heavily. The cell phone slipped out of his grip, hitting the floor and Viren looked down it, unable to muster the strength to pick it back up. The screen was covered in cum.

“Fuck, Viren. You’re such a tease,” Aaravos whispered. “I’m going to have to punish you once I get home.”

The human leaned down, picked up his cell and stopped recording. He wiped the screen with his fingers, revealing the direct messaged video that Aaravos had sent him. 

“Listen, Aaravos,” Viren began, turning his cell off without sending the video. He took a deep breath. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone. 

“I think, uh,” Viren started, tucking his spent dick back into his pants. “We should stop,” he said before he could change his mind. “This is unprofessional and has been affecting my work. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

Continued silence.

“Aaravos?”

Finally, his CEO answered, “I’m… disappointed, Viren.” 

Their call was disconnected and Viren stared at the phone in dread. He might have just made the biggest mistake of his professional career. 

Viren covered his face with his sticky hands and groaned. 

“Please let me still have a job in the morning,” he begged to whoever was willing to listen.


	10. Disaster Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viren made good on his promise to Runaan and ended things with Aaravos, but Viren is having a harder time moving on than he expected he would-- mind filled with thoughts of the startouched elf. When Runaan convinces Viren to go on a date, he tries to forget about Aaravos, but something completely unexpected happens that nearly breaks Viren and brings their date to a screeching halt.

The next couple of days proved to be surprisingly uneventful. Aaravos left Viren alone and Runaan seemed to be back to his usual self around Viren. Well, not quite the same. Now that he had confessed his feelings for Viren, the elf was more obvious about them, openly flirting with him.

Though Viren kept spurning his advances, Runaan never seemed to get discouraged. In fact, the rejection only seemed to encourage him. 

“One drink,” Runaan pressed, cutting Viren off. The human growled up at him and stepped to the side, but the elf blocked his path again. “I think you owe me after last time.”

Viren rolled his eyes, clutching onto his paperwork tightly. “One drink can do a lot of damage, Runaan. Last time being the prime example.”

The elf shoved Viren against the hallway wall and put his arms on either side of the human’s head, pinning him. “Come on, Viren. It will be fun. I promise you.”

His grey eyes narrowed then he let out a sigh of defeat. “Okay. Fine. But no elven ales and only one drink. Nothing more.”

Runaan grinned and moved away. He straightened Viren’s tie for him and patted the human’s shoulder. “Excellent. It’s a date then.”

Before Viren could counter, the elf headed in the opposite direction, back to his desk. Viren watched him for a moment, annoyance bubbling within him. The elf was relentless, but at least he would have peace for the rest of the day. 

He knocked on the cubicle wall to Gren’s desk and the human resources rep smiled up at him. Taking the paperwork from Viren’s hands, he said, “Thank you, Viren. It’s nice to see you back on track.”

It felt nice to have his life slowly fall back into order, too. Aaravos had been affecting him more than he had realized and now that he knew the startouch elf would leave him be, it was easier to move on. Granted, Viren kept checking Aaravos’ _Photogram_ feed, half expecting to be blocked or to see a private message, containing an inappropriate video, but there was nothing. Not even a new public post, which seemed to be an unusual occurrence. There were lots of worried comments on the last photo Aaravos had posted of him in Del Bar, three days ago. Even Viren was beginning to worry, but it would be unseemly for him to reach out after what he had said.

The atmosphere in the office was overall more positive. Or, at least, that was how Viren felt. Sales numbers were up, no one stared at him in concern or disgust anymore. Everything was going so well, so, naturally, Viren began to wonder what was going to go wrong.

His worry stayed with him all day and throughout his drink date with Runaan. He could tell that the elf was annoyed that he seemed to be worlds away, but Viren had a feeling that something terrible was about to happen. 

“Why are you so tense?” Runaan complained as he slid out of his seat. His hands went to Viren’s shoulders and he began to massage them, applying just the right amount of pressure.

Viren let out a groan. His fingers felt so nice against the knots in his muscles. The stiffness was beginning to dull and he let his eyes close, feeling completely relaxed under Runaan’s touch.

The elf’s fingers slid from his shoulders to his upper back and Viren leaned into him. 

“Your whole body is tense, Viren. Perhaps we should go somewhere that you can lay down and I can give you the proper attention you need?” 

Viren opened his eyes and moved forward, breaking free of Runaan’s grasp. He should have known that was what the elf had been after with the massage. 

“Runaan, please. Let’s just sit down and have drinks like we agreed.”

The elf frowned, but sat back in his seat with a grumble. They drank in silence for a moment then Runaan asked, “What did you see in him, anyways?”

There was no need for him to speak Aaravos’ name. They both knew that was who Runaan had been referring to.

Viren was quiet for some time. He rotated his glass in his hands, staring at the alcohol that he was struggling to get through. There was no real way to answer that question because Viren never really saw anything in Aaravos besides good looks and a sexy voice. He had been lonely. Aaravos was attractive and became the object of Viren’s horniness. He had never expected that Aaravos would notice him or his desires, but he had been desperate for some sort of intimacy and the elf had been willing to give it to him.

Still…

He had enjoyed the time when he had just been talking to Aaravos. The elf was intelligent and fascinating. He probably had many stories that he could tell Viren about all the places he had been and the experiences he has had in his longer life. 

Viren took a drink of his cider. They would never have those conversations now.

“Fine. Don’t tell me,” Runaan muttered. “I need to get some air. I’ll be right back,” he said, leaving Viren alone at the table.

He rubbed his face with his eyes, frustrated by how guilty he felt for rejecting Aaravos. There was no reason for him to be bothered by ending things, though. There was nothing official to end, after all. 

Before he could stop himself, Viren pulled out his phone and brought up Aaravos’ account again. To his surprise, there was a new public post. He tapped the image and felt his heart stop.

Viren’s eyes widened as he stared at the familiar faces, smiling up at him. Aaravos had his fingers under the chin of the man Viren had thought he had known so well. There was an intimacy to the pose that made Viren want to vomit and his eyes drifted down to the caption of the photo: _Here in Evenere with my favourite branch manager._

“Harrow,” he gasped. His heart was thundering in his chest. Aaravos was with Harrow. Harrow and Aaravos. His head was spinning and he looked at the door, where Runaan was standing.

Fuck. It hurt. 

The thought that Harrow was with Aaravos was like a vice on his heart. He was gasping, unable to breathe. Viren gripped the table tightly, tried to stand, but immediately fell onto his hands and knees.

“Viren!” Runaan was suddenly by his side, hands on his back. He picked up Viren’s discarded phone, helped the human onto his feet and led him to the door to get some fresh air. 

He was still struggling to breathe as Runaan sat him down on the curb and gently rubbed his back. 

“Deep breaths,” he tried, showing Viren how to do it. “That’s it,” he encouraged, watching him with concern. After a few more deep breaths, he asked, “Are you okay?”

Viren trembled. “I just want to go home,” he whispered, burying his face in his hands. 

After years of not knowing where Harrow had gone or how he was even doing, Viren finally knew, but he was desperate to forget. He could only imagine what Aaravos was doing to him— with him.

“Fuck,” he muttered, covering his face with his hands. 

It was a joke. It had to be. A cruel practical joke that the two of them were playing on him. Well, he refused to be the victim of their games. He would show them that he was better off without either one of them.

Runaan knelt in front of him and pulled the hands away from Viren’s face. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

It was impossible for Viren to answer. How could he explain the hurt— the betrayal— that he was feeling? Instead of answering him, Viren looked him directly in the eyes, asking, “Does the offer of that massage still stand?”

Runaan’s jaw flexed and he pulled his hand off Viren’s back. “You’re upset, Viren. I can’t help but feel like I would be taking advantage of you. Are you sure you want to do this?”

Viren gritted his teeth together, his brain swirling with images of Aaravos touching Harrow. “I need you to make me feel good, Runaan.”

The elf licked his bottom lip and nodded. “Okay.” He helped the human back onto his feet and led him to his car. Runaan placed Viren’s phone into the cupholder next to the steering wheel and stared at the black screen with a burning curiosity. 

Viren fell into the passenger seat and rest his forehead on the cool glass window. They started driving in silence, which meant Viren’s mind could think, uninterrupted, about all the ways Aaravos was pleasing Harrow in a way that Viren would never be able to. His hands clenched together on his lap. The man he had loved with all his heart was being fucked by the elf that his body had become addicted to.

The car stopped and Viren noticed that they were in front of his apartment building. 

“What? Why are we here?” he demanded, narrowing his eyes.

Runaan held out his phone, the photo of Aaravos and Harrow was still on his screen. 

“I told you, Viren. I like you. I don’t want to simply be a revenge fuck for you. I want you to be thinking about me when we are together, not about Harrow. And especially not about Aaravos,” Runaan explained, setting the phone into the human’s hand.

“You coward!” Viren shouted, grabbing Runaan’s shirt with his free hand. He was shaking. “You wanted me. Why should my reasons matter if I want you back?”

Runaan gently pried Viren’s hand from his shirt. “That’s the problem, Viren. You don’t actually want me back.” He took in a deep breath. “You should go home and try to get some sleep.”

Viren growled, unbuckled his seatbelt and went to open the door. His fingers stopped inches from the handle then he turned, eyes hungrily drifting down to Runaan’s groin. He moved forward, awkwardly climbing onto the elf’s lap. 

“Viren, stop,” Runaan sighed. 

“You didn’t mind the other night,” Viren protested.

Runaan’s hands gripped Viren’s arms tightly and he tried to push the human away. “That’s because we were both drunk and neither one of us were thinking straight.”

Viren leaned down, nibbling the base of Runaan’s long ear. He heard the elf inhale sharply and the grip around Viren’s arms loosened. Taking that as a good sign, Viren dragged his tongue down the elf’s neck and bit his neck.

“N- no, stop,” Runaan ordered, weakly, but he made no effort to push the human away. 

Viren’s hand went down to Runaan’s pants and he fondled the elf, making him shiver. He was getting hard from the touch and Viren smiled, knowing he had won. His fingers moved to the zipper of Runaan’s pants and he pulled it down.

“Viren, enough,” the elf shouted and grabbed the human’s hand roughly. “I’m not Aaravos.”

Viren backed away, livid that Runaan had rejected him. It had been the elf that wanted to go out for drinks in the first place. 

“No. You’re not,” Viren replied. “At least I know what Aaravos wants from me and has the spine to take it.” He pushed open the passenger door and stepped out into the cool evening air. His eyes met Runaan’s and he sneered, “I will never want you in the way you want me to, Runaan, and you just blew your one shot to have me.”

He slammed the door shut and walked up to his apartment building without looking back.


	11. Just Can't Quit You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viren just can't help it. The moment he sees Aaravos is livestreaming, he has to watch... You know, to find out what he can about Harrow. The man is obsessed... but with who? Harrow or Aaravos?

A masochist. That was what he was. No matter how many times Viren tried to fight it, he would end up bringing up the photo of Aaravos and Harrow, staring at it until his anger caused him to throw his phone onto his bed and storm into the other room, in a fit. 

But there he was again, laying on his bed, looking at the photo for the hundredth time that evening. 

Then it happened. A simple notification that caused Viren’s breath to leave his lungs.

_AaravosOfficial is going live._

Viren’s finger hesitated over the link. He was afraid of what he was going to see if he clicked on the livestream, but at the same time, Viren needed to know. 

Aaravos’ face popped onto his screen and his stomach twisted into a tight ball. He looked incredible in his black suit with the golden pinstripes. 

The elf was walking down a stretch of street, pointing out a few buildings, while explaining the history behind them. There seemed to be hundreds of people watching the livestream, hearts of adoring fans filling the screen.

Viren felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Aaravos was alone, which meant little when he considered the photo had been posted over an hour ago. Plenty of time for Aaravos to finish up with Harrow. 

The smug smile on Aaravos’ face pissed Viren off. He went to back out of the livestream, but the cell slipped out of his hand and he fumbled to catch it before it fell onto his face. Viren managed to snatch it just in time and froze as he looked at the screen. A notification had popped up on the livestream.

_VirenDaddy is waving at you._

Viren held his breath. There were no way that Aaravos would notice that amongst all of the other comments, right?

The elf’s smile twitched, momentarily vanishing, but it reappeared almost as quickly as it had disappeared. His golden eyes seemed to stare directly at Viren through the screen and elf bit his bottom lip.

“Sorry, everyone,” Aaravos said, feigning disappointment. “It seems like my battery is almost dead so I have to stop streaming for the evening. Thanks for watching!” His fingers covered the screen then the stream ended. 

Viren sat up, gripping his phone tightly. He saw. Aaravos had seen his message. Viren was certain of it. His heart was beating quicker than normal in his chest and he held his breath, waiting for the inevitable message that was sure to come.

After no notifications popped up, he exhaled, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Maybe Aaravos’ battery really was dying? Viren shook his head, waiting a little bit longer. He was unnerved by the disappointment he was feeling at the prospect that Aaravos might not be messaging him, after all. 

He let his arm fall to the bed, squeezing the phone tightly, and sighed. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded to himself. 

Harrow’s presence had left him completely shaken. He needed to speak to Aaravos about him— to find out how he was doing. But he also just wanted to have someone to talk to. 

Claudia and Soren had gone to bed already, but, even if they were awake, he doubted he would talk to them about his situation with Aaravos or his feelings for Harrow. And the last thing he wanted was to drag his children into his troubles with Runaan.

His phone chimed and he rolled onto his stomach, bringing the device to his face. There was a message from Aaravos. Now that it was sitting in Viren’s inbox, he hesitated to open it. Taking a deep breath, he clicked on the little envelope icon.

_Have I ever told you how much I appreciate your username, Daddy?_

Viren scowled at his screen. Of all the things the elf could have said to him, that was it? He angrily typed out his response and sent it.

_Soren set up the account for me years ago._

Aaravos’ reply came quickly. 

_Kinky._

Viren growled, sitting up. He was in the middle of typing out a reply when a little film icon popped up on his screen. Not sure what it was, he pressed down on it and nearly choked on the air he was breathing when Aaravos’ face appeared on his screen.

“Good evening, Viren,” he said, calmly. 

Viren covered his camera with his hand, blacking out his portion of the screen. 

The elf laughed. “How are we supposed to video chat if you are hiding behind your hand?”

Viren hesitated, but moved his hand away and glowered at the elf. “I thought your battery was dying?”

Aaravos smirked and glanced at the path before him before turning his attention back to Viren. “A white lie,” he admitted. “I saw that you were watching the stream and I decided that I rather talk to you.”

The human felt his throat grow dry. He held the phone out in front of him and lay back down, head resting against his pillow. “I wasn’t watching,” he mumbled. His eyes fell to the side, unable to look at the elf’s face as he lied. 

“I see,” Aaravos replied, amused. “Must have been some other Viren Daddy then.”

Viren’s face turned red and he cleared his throat. He was itching to ask about Harrow, but he was uncertain about how to broach the subject without making his feelings obvious.

“How are you?” Aaravos asked quietly, surprising him. 

His eyes moved back to the screen with genuine curiosity. Aaravos’ usual confidence seemed lost and he was watching Viren with what almost seemed to be vulnerability in his expression— as though he were afraid Viren would end the conversation before it could start.

“Um, I could be better,” he answered, truthfully. He paused, but added, “I was a little shocked to see that photo you posted tonight. You… moved on quickly.”

Aaravos cocked his head, mouth turning down into a frown. “Moved… I don’t understand what you are saying.”

Viren ground his teeth together, feeling his anger boiling up again. “You and Harrow,” he hissed, sitting up. “You thought three days was good enough? That you could just hook up with the first man you set your sights on?”

Aaravos blinked in bewilderment. He pulled his phone closer to him, glancing around to make sure no one could overhear them. He let out a soft laugh and said, “If I didn't know any better, I would say you are jealous, but I think you got the wrong impression, Viren. Harrow is married. He has two sons and he loves his wife dearly. Even if I had wanted to hook up with him— as you so eloquently put it— Harrow would have rejected me. And to be perfectly clear, I didn’t want to hook up with him, nor him with me. The man even refused to take a photo with me, but you know how persuasive I can be.”

Viren’s lips parted. He was taken aback by that response. Harrow was married? His hand lowered to the bed again and his body began to quiver from overwhelming grief. 

Harrow was happy. After years of wondering, Viren finally knew and he should be glad that Harrow had a family now. He forced a smile onto his face. He should be happy for Harrow, he told himself again. 

There were tears running down Viren’s cheeks, that he wiped away, ashamed by the show of emotion. How pathetic of him. Of course Harrow had moved on. Viren had been an utter fool to hold out hope that one day his friend would return to Katolis and reciprocate his feelings.

“Viren,” Aaravos’ voice was soft, sympathetic. “I’m sorry.”

He glanced down at the phone on his mattress and picked it back up with shaking fingers. The elf genuinely looked apologetic, which made Viren feel worse. The last thing he wanted was to be pity by Aaravos.

“I’m fine,” he muttered, voice strained from the large lump in his throat. 

Silence.

“Do you… want to talk about it?”

Viren glared at his phone screen and noticed that Aaravos was back inside what must have been his hotel room. He had set his phone down near his bed and was standing in the opposite corner, loosening his tie. Despite everything, Viren watched him carefully as he slowly undressed. 

Viren shook his head, tearing his eyes away from the screen as Aaravos slipped off his golden dress shirt. 

“No,” he answered. “I just want to be alone.”

Aaravos walked back to his phone, still half undressed and filled Viren’s screen with his beautiful face. “You are alone. And I’m alone. Perhaps we could be alone, together?” The elf picked up his phone and lay down on the bed, propping the cell up against the extra set of pillows. “We don’t even need to talk, if you don’t want to. I’ll just stay on the phone until you decide to end the call or fall asleep.”

Viren lay down, as well, setting his phone across from him so it looked like Aaravos was laying next to him. His fingers brushed against the screen and Viren was surprised by how badly he wanted Aaravos to pull him into his arms and simply hold him. But the only thing he could touch was the glass that separated them.

“Tell me about Evenere,” Viren mumbled, grateful to have something to distract him from thinking about Harrow.

Aaravos chuckled, “It’s terrible.” He scratched his cheek, smiling, evidently pleased that Viren had chosen to talk to him instead of ending the call. “I don’t know if you’ve even been to a swamp in Katolis, but Evenere is filled with them. And there are enough bugs to drive anyone mad. Why anyone would want to live here, is beyond me.”

A small smile spread on Viren’s face and he closed his eyes, trying to picture the place that Aaravos started to describe. The elf’s tone was soothing and it only took Viren a handful of minutes to drift off to sleep, listening to the sound of Aaravos’ melodious voice.


	12. A Better Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viren finally settles things with Runaan, but can they ever repair their friendship after this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: This chapter does contain a scene with nonconsensual aggressive sexual advances that some might find uncomfortable.

Viren leaned against Crow’s desk and sighed. “Still no sign of Runaan?” he asked.

The young man shook his head, resting his chin on his entwined fingers. “Not a sign or a peep. Do you think something might have happened to him?”

A frown appeared on his face before he could stop it. Viren knew exactly what had happened to the elf. He was probably livid with Viren— or maybe Runaan felt crestfallen, as Viren had when he learned about Harrow’s marriage.

“If you hear from him, please inform me immediately,” Viren ordered and headed directly to Gren’s annex. 

The HR rep was concentrating deeply on filling out the paperwork on his desk and jumped when Viren rapped his knuckles against the cubicle wall. 

“You startled me,” he gasped, putting a hand over his heart. His hands gathered up the papers and he flipped them over so the information was kept private, then asked, “What can I do for you, Viren?”

He hesitated, but replied, “You haven’t heard from Runaan, have you? He was spouting some nonsense about a transfer the other day.”

Gren’s eyebrows shot up in an alarmed response, which Viren took as a good sign. Clearly, the elf had yet to put in a transfer request, which meant Viren still had time to fix things.   
“A transfer? Why would he be interested in transferring?” Gren demanded, sounding more bewildered than upset about the news. 

Viren shook his head. “No, never mind. It was a stupid joke.” He hurried to his office and started going through his files until he found the employee contacts sheet. His finger trailed down the names until he found Runaan and he jotted down the elf’s address.

He needed to apologize for the harsh words. Even though what he had said was true, Viren never should have let Runaan down in such a manner. He had been unjustly taking out his anger over Harrow on him.

Just as he was leaving his office, Gren blocked his path.

“Viren,” he started, evenly. It was clear that he was trying to keep his anger out of his tone. The man let out a soft laugh, masking his distress. “Why is Runaan joking around about a transfer? Because, I’m sorry, but that isn’t funny in the slightest.”

“Gren, relax. Everything is fine,” Viren answered, stepping around him. “Or, at least, it will be. Now, if you’ll excuse me?” He started for the door then turned to the Crow Master. “You’re in charge until I get back, Crow.”

The young man’s face lit up. “Yes, sir!” he grinned.

Viren went to the parking lot then to his reserved spot. As he turned the keys in the ignition, he wondered if he was making a mistake. Runaan might want to be left alone for the day and, by going to his house, Viren could be making things a lot worse. Still, he had to at least try to apologize. 

The drive was a fairly short one. Runaan lived much closer to the office building than Viren did and he was surprised to see that the elf had a house, not an apartment. Houses were expensive in Katolis so either Runaan had sunk his savings into buying a home or it had been handed down to him from his parents. 

Viren took a deep breath and stepped out of his car. He walked up to the door, slowly, feeling his stomach twist sharply with anxiety. This was his last chance to turn around and head back to the office. Pushing down his worry, Viren knocked on the door.

It took a moment, but Runaan finally opened the door and narrowed his eyes immediately.

“What are you doing here?” he grumbled. 

Viren cleared his throat and explained, “You weren’t at the office today and weren’t answering your phone.”

Runaan leaned against the door, frowning. “I thought it would have been obvious that I was taking a personal day.” He met Viren’s eyes and shook his head. “Seems like I can’t even have one day without you barging into my life.” He stepped back, motioning his arm into his home, inviting Viren inside.

Viren stepped into the foyer, looking around. The house looked like it was straight out of a magazine. Spotless, well decorated, filled with beautiful furniture, yet it felt empty— uninviting, somehow.

“Runaan,” Viren started, watching as the elf closed the door behind them. “I just wanted to apologize for what I said. I was upset and I know that isn’t a valid excuse to—”

The elf silenced him with a kiss. His long fingers grabbed Viren’s arms so tightly that he winced from the pain of the contact. Runaan forced him to step back, until he was pressed against the wall. The shock finally wore off and Viren shoved him away. 

“What are you doing?” he shouted, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

Runaan grabbed Viren’s wrists, forcing his arms above his head.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said all day and maybe you’re right. I know I can never fill the hole that Harrow left in your heart. You’re so fucking obsessed with the bastard that left you, that you never even stop to think about the people who actually want to be part of your life.” Runaan snapped. “You’ll never love me, I know that. And Aaravos knows it, too. The only difference between us is that Aaravos— what was it that you said, again?— had the spine to take what he wanted.” He forced his knee between Viren’s leg. “So I am going to take your advice and I will take what I want.” 

Runaan kissed him again, but pulled away when Viren bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood. The elf struck his cheek, making Viren’s eyes water from the sting.

He looked at Runaan with a blank expression, feeling nothing— no anger, no affection, no guilt for making the elf taste his own blood. Just a sense of emptiness. He had driven Runaan to this. 

Runaan growled and threw Viren to the ground. He was on top of him within seconds, ripping open Viren’s dress shirt with his bare fingers. The blood trickling down Runaan’s chin made him look truly feral. He bent down, kissing Viren’s exposed chest, taking his time to lick the nipples. His teeth gently closed around one of them, forcing a groan from Viren’s lips. 

It felt good to be touched.

Runaan’s body moved further down, so he was sitting on Viren’s thighs, elf legs straddling him. His hands went to the belt buckle around Viren’s waist and he slid it off without hesitation.

“Runaan, stop,” Viren ordered and the elf furrowed his brows, keeping his hungry eyes on the zipper of Viren’s pants. 

Ignoring the human’s command, he reached for it and pulled it down. He wetted his lips with his tongue and finally looked at Viren’s face. There was hesitation in his eyes— already a twinge of regret in his gaze. 

“You’re not Aaravos, Runaan,” Viren said softly. “You’re a better man than he is. We both know this isn’t you.”

Runaan looked away, expression hardening. “A better man? What does that get me in life? An okay job, an empty home. What does Aaravos have? Everything. Anything he wants.” Runaan bared his teeth at the human, anger overwhelming him. “Including you, Viren.”

Runaan trembled, leaning forward so his forehead rested on Viren’s bare stomach. “I don’t want to be a better man.”

Carefully, Viren sat up, forcing Runaan to sit up with him. He put a hand on the elf’s cheek and forced a weak smile to his face. “I truly am sorry, Runaan. I wish that I could return your feelings, but… I don’t think it’s possible for me to love anyone besides Harrow.”

Runaan hit his hand away. He was still straddling Viren’s legs and made no effort to get up. “So, what? You’ll just live the rest of your life alone?”

Viren’s thoughts immediately went to Aaravos’ words: You are alone. I am alone. Perhaps we can be alone together? A genuine smile crossed his face. “Yeah,” he answered. “Being alone isn’t so lonely anymore.”

Runaan gave him a sideways glance, clearly wondering what that was supposed to mean, but let it slide. He gently touched the red mark he had left on Viren’s face and started shaking. 

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, leaning forward so he could embrace him. 

Viren placed a hand on Runaan’s arm and replied, “Let’s just put this behind us, okay? It never happened.”

The elf nodded, the side of his head brushing against the side of Viren’s. “I wouldn’t have… I mean, I don’t think I could have,” he mumbled and Viren gently pushed him away. 

“I know,” Viren said, warmly. “Now, let’s get back to the office. Who knows what sort of trouble Crow is getting the company into.”

“You left the Crow Master in charge?” Runaan asked, incredulous. 

“I was in a rush. I thought my best salesman had walked out on me,” he teased, nudging Runaan in the gut with his elbow. 

A weak grin tugged on his lips, making the smile on Viren’s face falter. Even though they had agreed to put this behind them, he doubted things would ever be the same between them after today. A wedge had been driven into their friendship and, eventually, Runaan would move on without him.

Runaan helped Viren back onto his feet and they both looked at the human’s shredded dress shirt.

“Okay. First, we stop and get me a new shirt.”


	13. Special Delivery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing to video chat every night that Aaravos is away, Viren begins to grow closer to him. An with things more or less settled with Runaan, Viren decides to send Aaravos a special email :3

Viren laughed.

“It’s not funny,” Aaravos complained, rolling his eyes at Viren through the phone screen. “Ahling never told me we were handing out the water to others. He just gave me a jug of water and it was hot. I was thirsty. How was I supposed to know that was how they distributed water in that hellhole of a desert?”

Viren propped his face up by resting it on his knuckles. There was a smug smile on his face as he replied, “I always assumed you knew everything about all things.”

The elf frowned, annoyed by the comment. “That’s impossible, Viren. I will humbly admit that I have quite the backlog of knowledge, but there are always new things to learn.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“Hm, well I can think of one thing I’d like to learn.” Aaravos hesitated, but risked saying, “Like, do you prefer doggy style or cowboy?”

Viren’s face started burning and he simply stared at Aaravos for a moment. They had been speaking to one another for the past three nights and not once had Aaravos brought up sex. He was returning home tomorrow night and the elf’s promise floated to Viren’s mind. 

He reached for the glass of water that was on his bedside table and took a sip, not sure how to even answer the question.

Aaravos scratched his neck, clearly uncomfortable by the silence. “Unless you like a different position?” he added, a hopeful curiosity in his tone. “We could try whatever you like. Jockey? Afternoon delight? Crab?”

“Aaravos, stop,” Viren cried, exasperated. “I don’t even know what any of that means.”

The elf looked at him in surprise. “Really? But you have had sex with another man before, haven’t you?”

Viren looked away, covering his phone with a hand to hide his embarrassment. 

“No!” Aaravos gasped, a hint of amusement leaked through his words. “Viren, you’ve never slept with another man?”

He moved his hand away from the phone and glared at the elf, irate. “So? What? Harrow was the only person I was interested in after my wife left me and you know how that turned out.”

“So, was I the first?” he asked, leaning forward so his startouched face was closer to the screen. His eyes were twinkling with an unfamiliar admiration, but instead of being annoyed by the elf’s question, Viren found himself smiling with a returned fondness. 

He shook his head, forcing the grin off his face. “Sort of?” Viren admitted, feeling uncomfortable with the conversation. “We haven’t, uh, you know…” 

Aaravos licked his lips. “Yes, I suppose we haven’t gone all the way yet.”

“Yet?”

The elf hesitated then shook his head. “Ah, yes. I apologize. I am ignoring your request to keep things strictly professional. These past few nights have been, well, unprofessional of me. Perhaps I should let you go for the evening?”

Viren rubbed the back of his head, shoulders drooping in disappointment. Though Runaan had never expressly given Viren permission to continue his unusual relationship with Aaravos, after their unfortunate experience, he had made it clear that he accepted Viren could be with whomever he chose. 

These phone video chats had been a great comfort to Viren and he found himself genuinely wanting to be with Aaravos now. It was about more than a physical connection. Viren actually had feelings for the elf.

“Before you go, I have to email you something that I should have sent to you at the beginning of the week,” he replied, climbing off his bed. He walked over to the small desk near his bedroom door and turned on his computer, ignoring the disappointed sigh that came from his phone’s speaker. 

“Can it wait until tomorrow? I’m tired and work is the last thing I want to think about right now,” Aaravos complained, despite the fact that he was already walking over to the couch in front of the hotel coffee table. He blinked as his computer light assaulted his face upon start up.

“It can’t wait,” Viren replied, dragging the file he had been saving into the drafted email. He clicked “send” and waited for a minute, scratching his beard, nervously.

Then he heard the new email notification chime from Aaravos’ phone. He watched as the elf set his phone down, propping it up against his laptop screen so Viren could still see him. There was a look of confusion as Aaravos pulled up the email.

“A video?” he asked and clicked on it. The elf waited patiently as the file downloaded and Viren’s ears burned when the sound of his own heavy breathing filled the silence. 

Aaravos’ lips parted then he smirked, glancing down at the phone. “So, you did film yourself?” he asked, but before Viren could reply, Aaravos’ voice from the recording said, _“Viren. All of your moaning is making me hard. I don’t want to wait a week to taste you again.”_

Viren watched as Aaravos’ attention shifted back to the video completely. His lips were twitching and he bit down on it, trying to stop the movement. Viren held his breath as the elf slid his hand into his silk pyjama pants. His eyes closed and his head fell back as his hand moved back and forth under his clothes. 

The sight of Aaravos pleasuring himself, caused a wave of excitement to his groin and Viren wished once again that he was able to touch the elf instead of having to watch him through a screen. Unable to stop the blood from flowing into his cock, Viren pulled the waistband of his briefs down, under his ass. Then he started rubbing, watching Aaravos on his tiny phone screen.

He heard the video version of himself cum then Aaravos’ recorded voice, _“Fuck, Viren. You’re such a tease. I’m going to have to punish you once I get home.”_

“Please,” he gasped, as his hand jerked his dick roughly. “Aaravos. Tomorrow night,” he panted, watching as the elf opened his eyes, their gazes meeting through their phones. “Fuck me so hard that I can’t live without you.” 

Aaravos grinned then let out a loud moan, back arching. When he pulled his hand out of his pants, they were dripping with cum. The elf looked at his fingers for a moment then turned his attention back to Viren, who had yet to climax. Aaravos sensually licked the cum off of his fingers, eyes locked with Viren’s.

“Shit,” Viren gasped, unable to fathom how sexy Aaravos was at that moment. He gripped onto his chair’s armrest tightly with one had, as he came. 

Once he stopped panting loudly, Aaravos hummed, utterly satisfied. “That was the best email I have ever gotten. I will be sure to repay you tomorrow evening, my love.”

Viren eye’s narrowed at the nickname. His chest was still heaving, as he tried to regain his breath and he was grateful that he was unable to reply just yet. 

_My love._

It repeated in his head over and over. He wanted to ask what Aaravos meant by that. It could have been a nickname out of affection or the elf was teasing him. Either way, there was no denying the warmth that it brought to Viren’s heart to hear those words uttered from Aaravos’ lips. 

“I will text you my address,” Aaravos said, pushing himself off of the couch. He disappeared for a moment and Viren could hear the sound of running water. When he came back, the elf was drying his hands with a towel. “I will be home before you get off work so head straight over when you are finished and leave the rest to me.”

“The rest?” Viren asked, straightening in his chair.

Aaravos gave him a crooked smile and nodded. “Condoms, lube, toys,” he explained, nonchalantly.

“I see,” Viren replied. He was starting to get nervous, as though he were a virgin about to have sex for the first time. 

Aaravos must have sensed the fear in Viren’s voice because he smiled and, in his most soothing voice, said, “Relax, Viren. We can take things slow if you’re not ready.”

The human stared at him in gratitude, but shook his head, “I’m ready.” A week apart had been too long. The calls had been nice, but they also made Viren crave Aaravos more than he thought possible. 

“Good. Then I will see you tomorrow evening,” Aaravos replied and lay down in his bed. 

Viren swallowed, unable to push down the excited anxiousness in his stomach. “Tomorrow,” was all he managed to get out. 

“Good night, my love.” Aaravos’ fingers came closer to the screen and then the call was over. 

A redial option popped up on Viren’s phone and he had to force himself to hit the “end call” button instead. 

“Good night, Aaravos,” he whispered into the darkness of his room.


	14. All the Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moment has finally arrived. Viren goes to Aaravos' house after work, but starts to wonder if he's making a mistake in doing so.

Aaravos’ home was beautiful. Viren stared up at it from his car, feeling completely out of place. The house was nearly the same size as the entire three storey apartment complex that Viren lived in, with grandiose windows that extended around the majority of the building. 

There were white curtains over most of the windows, offering some privacy from prying eyes, but from the places that were exposes, Viren could see elaborate chandeliers and furniture that he would be afraid to use because of how much they cost.

His eyes drifted to the front yard— more specifically to the pond with the decent sized stone structure and waterfall. There were colorful flowers all around the water and Viren found himself thinking this display was prettier than most of the gardens in the public parks. 

“What are you doing here?” he whispered to himself, gripping the steering wheel tightly. His heart was pounding at the prospect of seeing Aaravos again, but now that he was here, he was beginning to think it was a bad idea. 

He was beginning to get too close to the elf and that scared him. 

There was also a sense of guilt that Viren knew was ridiculous, but he had been in love with Harrow for so long that it felt like he was betraying him by possibly caring for someone else. The emotion was unfounded; he knew that. Harrow had moved on long ago and probably cared nothing about who Viren was with. 

Still, part of him was begging for Viren to turn the car back on and drive home. He just remained sitting in his parked vehicle, staring up at the large house with doubt.   
His cell phone beeped and his gaze went down to the screen. There was a new message from Aaravos.

_Stop sitting outside like a stalker and get in here._

With a deep breath, Viren pushed open his door and climbed out of the car. His feet felt heavy as he walked up the stone pathway, leading to the house and he felt lightheaded.

Aaravos opened the door before Viren had a chance to knock and the elf embraced him tightly. Viren stood in his hold, taken aback by the show of affection. His fingers gently pressed against Aaravos’ back and he leaned into the hug. 

“Welcome. It’s so nice to see you again, my love.”

Viren’s cheeks turned red and he buried his face into the elf’s shoulder. It was even more heartwarming to have Aaravos whisper those words into his ear. 

They parted and Aaravos motioned to the grand foyer behind them. “Please, come in,” he said, stepping aside so Viren could enter. 

The house was even more impressive than he imagined. It looked like something from the movies. A house that they would have used to film interior shots of a royal palace. 

Self-conscious about his shoes on the marble flooring, Viren slipped them off. 

Aaravos moved behind him and carefully removed his jacket for him. He hung it on the coatrack next to the door then took Viren’s hand in his own. “This way,” the elf instructed, tugging him forward. 

They made their way through the house, each room more impressive than the next, until they reached a doorway at the end of a long hallway. Aaravos released Viren’s hand and pushed open the large doors, revealing a bedroom the size of Viren’s apartment.

There was a king-sized bed at the other end of the room that had silk sheets and stacks of pillows. At the foot of the bed was a small pile of items that Viren could only guess were for tonight. 

“You can use the bathroom to clean yourself,” Aaravos said, pointing to the smaller door on the lefthand side of the room. 

“Clean myself?” Viren asked.

Aaravos smiled and cupped the human’s face in his hands. “Oh, Viren. You truly haven’t slept with another man.” He chuckled and wrapped his arms around Viren’s torso, fingers reaching down to squeeze his butt. “You should clean this,” the elf explained, pulling Viren’s cheeks apart. 

He squirmed out of Aaravos’ hold and cleared his throat, embarrassed. “I— I knew that,” he murmured and glanced at the bathroom.

“There’s an enema kit in there. I bought one just for you,” Aaravos purred, wrapping his arms around Viren again. He was watching the human closely, clearly trying to gauge his reaction to the new information. When it was evident that Viren had no idea how to use a water enema, Aaravos laughed.

“Hm, I’ll give you some time to figure it out.” He let go of the human and headed for the doors to go back into the hall. “What would you like to drink? Water? Wine?”

“Red wine is fine,” Viren answered, quietly. His eyes followed Aaravos until he disappeared from sight then he hurried into the bathroom, grabbing the enema box. He pulled out the syringe as he read the instructions. 

“Ugh,” he grunted, turning on the hot water tap. Viren prayed that Aaravos gave him privacy while he followed the steps on the instruction booklet. This had to have been the most embarrassing thing he had ever done. 

As Viren stared up at the bathroom ceiling from his position in the bathtub, he thought about Harrow. He tried not to, but there was a side of him that wondered if Harrow would have known to do something like this if they had ever decided to have sex with one another. A sad smile tugged on Viren’s mouth. If anything, he would have been the one doing all the research and Harrow would have been in the same position Viren was in now.

Once he was finished up, Viren stepped out of the bathroom and froze when he saw Aaravos laying on the bed, waiting patiently for him in a robe. 

“All done, my love?”

Viren nodded then walked over to the massive bed. His throat felt dry as Aaravos crawled forward, sitting on the edge of the bed. He pulled Viren into his arms, drawing him closer. The elf’s fingers untucked Viren’s dress shirt from his pants then caressed his bare skin. 

Viren bit his bottom lip, stopping the moan from bursting out of his lungs. How he had missed the gentle caress of the startouch elf. 

“I missed you,” Aaravos whispered, nuzzling his face into Viren’s stomach. His hands slid down to the human’s hips and he moved his head back to look into those eyes that looked like a stormy sky. “Did you miss me?”

With a moment’s hesitation, Viren pushed Aaravos back, crawling over him. “I did,” he admitted and stared down at the elf with apprehension. His fingers reached out, running through the gorgeous white hair that fell to the side of Aaravos’ head. Unable to wait any longer, Viren leaned down and gently nipped the base of the elf’s neck. 

Aaravos moaned. His hands gripped onto Viren’s waist, fingers twitching with every new bite against his sensitive skin. They dug into his flesh when Viren dragged his tongue up the elf’s neck.

Without warning, Aaravos’ grasp tightened and Viren was thrown onto his back. He tried to catch the breath that had been forced from his lungs as his back hit the mattress, but the elf’s mouth was just as suddenly over his own. Viren’s head was spinning and he gasped when Aaravos finally pulled away. 

“I can’t wait any longer,” Aaravos told him, hands going to the belt around Viren’s waist. “I have wanted this since the first day I saw you.”

Viren looked up at him, surprised. “You did?” he asked.

Aaravos pulled the belt free and nodded. “You caught my attention immediately, Viren. You looked so nervous the first time I came to your office. It was adorable,” he explained, touching the human’s face. 

“But you never spoke to me when you came. I thought you hated me.”

Aaravos smiled. “On the contrary, my love. You drove me mad. I knew that if I stayed in your presence too long I wouldn’t be able to help myself. Eventually, I’d take you.” He let out a soft hum. “Lucky for me, you succumbed first. I could smell it during the conference. You were filling the room with pheromones.”

Viren’s eyes widened, alarmed. Was that how Runaan knew that Viren was attracted to Aaravos? 

The elf reached over to the pile of objects on the corner of the bed. He put the condom package between his teeth and ripped it open with one swift tug of a hand, while the other untied the loose knock that was keeping his robe shut. 

While Aaravos slipped the condom on, Viren pulled off his own shirt and tossed it carelessly off the bed. The nervousness that he had been feeling was gone and all that remained was the desire to connect with Aaravos in a way he had never connected with another being before. He wanted— needed— to feel Aaravos inside of him.

The elf kissed Viren’s stomach then slid his pants off his hips. A grin formed on his face when he saw the large bulge in the human’s briefs. 

“So hard already?” Aaravos asked, pulling the briefs down Viren’s thighs. His dick rose quickly, freed from the fabric prison.

“Shut up,” Viren growled. “This week has been long for me, too,” he protested, feeling his cheeks grow warm with embarrassment. 

Aaravos leaned down and licked the tip of his cock, sending a shiver rushing through Viren’s body. 

“Well, I can’t have you wasting all of your precious cum before I’m ready for it,” Aaravos explained, grabbing a blue silicone ring from the pile. After pouring lubricant onto Viren’s hardening dick, he slipped it on and smirked. “I’m going to warm you up so you’re ready to take me, but we can’t neglect this,” he said, pressing a finger down on his tip. 

Viren’s back arched from the touch and he grit his teeth together. He gasped when the ring around his cock started to vibrate and gripped the bedsheets tightly. The vibration caused such an odd sensation along his shaft, but his body was reacting positively, waves of euphoric pleasure coursing through him.

A warm liquid splattered across Viren’s ass and he looked up, watching as Aaravos poured lube onto his fingers. Then the elf traced a circle around Viren’s hole, making him tremble. A finger slid in. 

“Nnghh,” Viren grunted, curling his toes together from the sensation. 

“You’re so tight,” Aaravos observed, finger rubbing against Viren’s insides. “Fuck, you’re going to be good,” he whispered with breathless excitement. 

Viren merely moaned in response, unable to formulate any words as his body was wracked with pleasure. 

Aaravos pushed a second finger in and Viren whimpered, grabbing onto the bedsheets so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. The fingers alone would have been enough to make him come, if it weren’t for the vibrating ring that tightened around the base of his cock. 

“Aara,” Viren gasped. “Too much,” he wheezed. 

The elf pulled his fingers out of Viren’s hole, but instead of taking the ring off, Aaravos pushed his cock against the human’s ass. The tip started to force its way in.

“No, wait,” Viren pleaded. 

Aaravos thrust forward and Viren screamed. 

The elf’s hands went to Viren’s thighs and he pulled them up, guiding the human to wrap his legs around Aaravos’ hips. He looked down at Viren with those hauntingly beautiful golden eyes and said, “Relax. I’m going to start moving.”

Viren tried is best to relax his body, but the shock of Aaravos’ dick spreading his hole so wide was hard to ignore. The elf pulled back slowly then moved forward. 

The pain evaporated and Viren’s mouth parted, another whimper escaping his lips, but this time it was because of how good he felt. 

Aaravos’ pace quickened and Viren bit his lower lip, letting his eyes close. The elf thrust against him, harder. There was a loud clap as their flesh hit against each other and he groaned. 

“Fuck. You’re better than I thought you would be,” Aaravos panted. His arms left Viren’s hips and landed on the mattress on either side of the human, allowing Aaravos to thrust deeper and harder. 

Viren wailed again, tightening his thighs’ grip around the elf’s hips. He had never felt so good before. His whole body was shaking as Aaravos pounded his insides and the ring sent vibrations through his shaft. He was going to come.

“Ahh,” Viren gasped. “I’m going to—” His voice was cut off by the loud moan that burst from his lips.

Aaravos’ hands quickly grabbed Viren by the hips and his mouth went over the tip as the human came. The orgasm was unlike anything Viren had experienced before. It felt like his very being was hit by a wave of relaxing energy as all of the pent up sexual tension released from his body. 

Aaravos pulled away, swallowing the cum and his face twisted with pleasure. “Viren, fuck,” he gasped. “Oh, gods. You’re clenched so tightly I can’t even move.”

The elf groaned and slowly tried to move back then forth. His eyes squeezed shut. “You are pulsating against me. It feels so good.” He thrust again then again, again, until his body trembled and he came inside of Viren.

The elf collapsed against Viren, breathing heavily as his orgasm took control of his body. Finally, he chuckled and reached underneath him, turning off the ring that was still vibrating between their skin. 

Viren reached out, putting a hand on Aaravos’ head. His fingers played with the white strands and he watched the elf with fondness as he lifted his head to meet the human’s eyes. 

“That was amazing, my love,” he whispered. 

Viren hesitated, but sat up, forcing Aaravos up with him. He stared at the beautiful being before him, wondering how he had been so lucky to capture the elf’s attention. There was no possible way Aaravos could be in love with him. Eventually, the elf would lose interest in his aging human lover and move on. But… Even if this relationship was doomed to end with Viren’s heart being broken once again, he found himself prepared to take that risk. 

He put a hand on Aaravos’ cheek and kissed him. He could taste his own cum on Aaravos’ lips and he forced his tongue into the elf’s mouth. Aaravos pulled him into an embrace, returning the kiss with passion. 

When they finally parted, Aaravos smiled, resting his forehead against Viren’s. “Stay here tonight,” he ordered. 

It was a command that Viren was happy to oblige.


	15. Old Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are finally starting to go Viren's way. Life is looking up and things with Aaravos are really good, but how long will they stay that way?

“You look happy today, Father,” Claudia observed, taking a sip of her coffee. She was watching him with curiosity, expecting an explanation for his unusually good mood.

“I am,” he answered simply, sitting down at the break room table next to his daughter. He raised his mug to his lips, drinking his own coffee and felt Claudia staring at him still. 

“That’s all you’re going to give me?” she asked after he set his mug back down on the table. “Dad, come on. You gotta spill the beans.”

“Spill the…? Claudia, it’s really none of your business,” he murmured, moving to take another sip of coffee, but his daughter nudged him in the gut. 

“Aw, come on. I know you didn’t come home last night. So? Where were you? Or, really, who were you with?” she pressed, nudging him again. 

Viren frowned down at her, moving his seat further away so his gut was just out of her reach. He rotated his mug in his hand, not sure if he was ready to tell anyone about his new relationship.

“Was it Aaravos?”

Viren coughed. “Wh-what?” he sputtered, forcing out an incredulous laugh. He raised his mug to his lips, but, instead of taking a drink, he asked, “Whatever gave you that idea?”

Claudia leaned forward on the table, looking up at him. “Dad, between the rumours at the office and the late night web-calls—that you think Soren and I can’t hear— it is pretty obvious.” She smiled at his alarmed expression. “I’m happy for you, Dad,” she told him, putting a hand on his back. “I thought you were going to be hung-up on Harrow forever.”

Viren shifted in his seat. While he was starting to develop feelings for Aaravos, his heart still belonged to Harrow, but that was a thought he was going to keep to himself.

He pushed himself out of his seat, picking up his coffee mug. “Let’s keep this conversation between us, hm? I don’t want rumours spreading.”

Claudia waved her hand dismissively. “Sure. I won’t tell anyone, but you do realize the longer you withhold the truth, the more rumours there will be?”

Viren merely grunted in response and walked out of the break room. He sipped his coffee as he walked past the HR annex and into the hall that would take him to the warehouse. 

It was loud there. The sound of machinery moving boxes, packing tape being stretched over packages, and general noise pollution coming from the opened warehouse doors, assaulted Viren’s ears. He leaned against the railing of the mezzanine, watching everything from above. 

Soren was near the small office next to the stairs, holding a clipboard. He was going over orders with Corvus, Marcos and someone that Viren had never seen before. 

The elf had shorter hair than Aaravos and Runaan, but would still be considered fairly long compared to human cuts. His horns were similar to Runaan’s, running down along the sides of his head in one small swoop then the tips curling up. The most unusual thing about this elf were the circular markings on his cheeks. 

Viren cocked his head to the side, taking another sip of his coffee. He vaguely remembered Soren mentioning hiring a new worker for the warehouse last week. 

“Viren?” 

He turned. Runaan was holding some papers in his hand, keeping his distance. The elf refused to stand anywhere near Viren after their encounter at Runaan’s home, which was fine. If Runaan needed time to forget about what had happened, Viren was going to give it to him without pressure. 

“Here are the sales reports from yesterday,” he said, holding the papers out for him to take. 

Viren was careful not to touch the elf’s fingers and smiled warmly. “Thank you, Runaan,” he said and watched as he turned around so quickly that he almost hit the doorframe. The elf scowled then hurried back down the hall to their office. 

With a sigh, Viren turned his attention back to the warehouse and noticed the new worker, staring up in his direction, mouth slightly agape. The elf blinked, shook his head and turned his attention back to Soren. 

Curiosity got the better of him, so Viren started walking down the stairs, careful not to spill his coffee as it swished in his mug. He reached the bottom of the steps and interrupted their meeting by saying, “Good morning, crew. Soren. Corvus. Marcos. And, you are?”

The elf straightened and answered, “Uh, Tinker, sir.”

Viren examined him, eyes lingering on the beautiful flower pendant he wore around his neck. 

“Tinker? Well, it’s nice to have you on the team,” he said. “Did you have a question for me?”

The elf shook his head. “No, sir. I was, um, actually… The elf you were with?” His face was turning red.

“Runaan?” Viren replied then realization hit him. He grinned and motioned his head towards the stairs. “Have you had a tour of the office yet? Come, I’ll show you the rest of the building and introduce you to the sales crew.” He glanced at Soren. “You don’t mind if I borrow Tinker for a moment, do you?”

His son shook his head. “You’re the boss, Dad. Tour away.”

Viren led Tinker up the stairs. “So, Tinker? Where are you from?” he asked, trying to keep the conversation light to help keep the elf calm. The poor guy was trembling. 

“Uh, Xadia, originally,” he answered, clutching onto the flower pendant that dangled over his chest. 

“That’s a lovely necklace,” Viren commented and the elf started to relax. 

“Thank you,” he replied. “I made it myself. It’s very soothing to make jewellery. I have a room full of them,” he chuckled. “I know I should sell them or give them away, but I can’t bring myself to part with them.” He fell silent and rubbed one of his arms. “I’m sorry. That is probably strange of me.”

Viren shook his head, holding onto his mug with both hands. “Not at all. You must put a lot of time and effort into crafting such intricate creations. It would be difficult to put a price on that.”

Tinker nodded, smiling up at him with gratitude. 

They entered the office and Viren called everyone over for introductions. Tinker nervously greeted everyone with a hello and shifted his weight when Runaan stepped in front of him. 

“Nice to meet you, Tinker,” Runaan said.

Tinker’s face immediately turned red and he merely nodded in response. 

“My name is Runaan,” the moonshadow elf tried again, but he was greeted with another nod. He let out an amused laugh and shook his head. “I know being new can be tough, but everyone here is pretty friendly. You should come out for drinks with us tonight. It’s a good way to get to know everyone.”

“Uh, yes,” Tinker replied quietly. “I’d… I’d like that.”

“Good,” Runaan said, putting a hand on Tinker’s shoulder. “I’ll see you then.” Then he walked back to his desk and sat down. 

Tinker was grinning from ear to ear, watching Runaan with obvious admiration. 

The sight warmed Viren’s heart. Runaan deserved to be happy and he hoped that he could find it in Tinker. He turned and was about to lead the elf back down to the warehouse when someone walked into the office. 

“Good morning,” Crow’s voice reached Viren’s ears. “Can I help-”

“-Viren.”

The mug slipped out his hands, shattering against the tile floor, and he turned. Though it had been years since he last heard that voice, he would recognize it anywhere.

Viren’s lips parted in surprise. His heart was pounding against his chest so hard that he felt like it might burst from his chest. 

He swallowed the lump in his throat and managed to whisper, “Harrow?”

The man smiled and said, “It’s good to see you again, old friend.”


	16. Catching Up

Viren stared at the man across the desk from him, still in disbelief. Harrow was here. In front of him. After years of wanting this moment to come to pass, Viren’s mind refused to accept that this was really happening. 

“You look well,” Harrow said quietly, crossing his legs. He tapped his fingers against the chair’s armrest, clearly feeling as uncomfortable as Viren.

“What…” Viren started and shook his head. There were so many questions that he wanted to ask that it was near impossible to sort through his thoughts. “What are you doing here?” he managed, hearing the crack in his own voice, as confusion started to overwhelm him. 

He hated the emotions churning inside of him. The anger of being abandoned. The hurt of having his love rejected. The relief upon hearing Harrow’s voice in person once more. The joy of seeing his old friend sitting across from him.

Harrow’s jaw tightened and he watched Viren with consideration for a moment before finally answering, “Last week, I was offered a promotion. Regional Manager for Katolis.”

Viren inhaled sharply. If Harrow became the regional manager then they would be working together often. It was a bittersweet hope.

“I haven’t accepted it yet,” Harrow admitted. “There was something I wanted to clear up before deciding.” His eyes locked with Viren’s and he frowned. A deep breath escaped his lips and his hands tightened around the arms of the chair. 

Silence filled the room. Neither one of them spoke. Neither one of them knew what to say, despite there being so much that needed to be said. 

Finally, Viren looked at Harrow with a pained expression. “You just left, Harrow. Without even saying goodbye. I had no idea where you had gone or why you even left.”

Harrow looked away, eyes narrowing. “I know,” he whispered in response. “I’m sorry, Viren.” Their eyes met once more and Harrow leaned forward. “I knew how you felt about me, Viren, and I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Viren gritted his teeth together in anger. “Because disappearing on me was a much better solution than simply telling me you couldn’t return my feelings?” he hissed. 

Harrow held out his hands in submission. “I know. It was a drastic decision and one that I have regretted since the day I left. I never intended to stay away for so long. Nor did I mean to cut off all contact. I just wanted to give you some space. Some time to forget about me.” He fell silent, looking down at his hands. “But days turned into weeks, weeks to months and, before I knew it, I had a life in Evenere.”

Viren’s hands balled into fists. He knew all about that life thanks to Aaravos. A wife and children. A family to call his own. He moved on, while Viren was stuck behind an invisible barrier that only Harrow could tear down. 

His old friend let out another sigh. “I am truly sorry that I never reached out to you, but it got to the point where it became just too difficult.”

Viren stood. He glared down at Harrow, absolutely livid. “Too difficult?” he repeated. “Too difficult to write me a letter? An email? Hell, even just a fax to tell me that you were alive? That you were okay?”

Harrow rose from his chair and hesitated. He slowly walked over to Viren and put a hand on his arm. When Viren merely looked down at it, Harrow pulled him into an embrace. 

“You’re angry. I understand that,” he said, softly. 

Viren trembled in his hold. Unable to hold back, Viren held onto him tightly, as though if he were to let go, Harrow would disappear on him again. He buried his face into the crook of Harrow’s neck and breathed in his scent, memories of the same smell from years ago came rushing to the front of his mind. Reality finally hit him. Harrow was really here.

“I missed you so much,” he croaked, voice tight as tears threatened to pour forth from his eyes. 

Harrow put a hand on the back of Viren’s head. “I’m sorry, Viren. I never wanted to hurt you like I did.”

He shook his head, squeezing Harrow tightly. “It’s okay. Just… Please, don’t leave again.”

Harrow gently pushed Viren away and smiled at him sadly. “Viren,” he replied, keeping his voice lowered. “I still can’t return your feelings.”

Though he knew this, it still cut Viren deeply. “I know,” he said, louder than he had intended. He cleared his throat and added, “You are my friend, Harrow. I would just be happy to have you back in my life.”

“Okay,” Harrow said, letting out a relieved breath. He glanced around at the office then back to Viren. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you at work. Perhaps we can meet for dinner? We can catch up a little and talk more?”

Viren agreed without hesitation.

“I will give you my phone number and you can text me with an address and time to meet you. A lot has changed since I was last in Katolis. I don’t recognize half these restaurants,” he said, reaching for a pen on Viren’s desk. He scribbled his phone number on a sticky note and straightened. “I should let you get back to work.”

Viren wanted to ask him to stay, but there were issues that he needed to address today and Harrow probably had things he needed to take care of, himself, so he nodded. They would see each other again later in the evening. There was no need to be afraid of Harrow vanishing again. 

“Oh my gods!” Claudia yelled and burst into her father’s office. “Harrow! Is that you?” she cried and squealed when he turned to face her. “It is you!”

“Claudia?” Harrow asked, eyes lighting up. “My word. You are all grown up.” 

She threw her arms around him. “I thought we were never going to see you again!” Her smile faded and she pulled away. Her green eyes darted to Viren, concern creeping into her expression. 

“Harrow might be returning to Katolis as the regional manager,” Viren explained, trying to reassure his daughter that he was okay.

“That… That’s great news,” she exclaimed, shooting her father another worried glance. “I guess you’d be around a lot then?” 

Harrow nodded. “Yes, if I decide to take the promotion. I’m still not sure.” His eyes went to Viren and he smiled warmly. “Hopefully I will have a better idea after tonight.” He clapped his hands together. “Anyways, I was just on my way out. It was nice to see you again, Claudia. I hope to see you more in the future.” He paused, tilting his head to the side. “You know, I should introduce you to my eldest son, Callum. He’s just about your age, I think.”

It felt like someone had punched Viren in the gut. He knew that Harrow had children, but hearing it come from his own mouth was completely different. Besides, how was it possible that Harrow had a child around Claudia’s age when he had been single for nearly the first portion of her life?

“Oh? Your son? Well, I would certainly love to meet your family,” Claudia replied, sounding genuinely curious. 

“Great. Let’s try to set something up before I return to Evenere.” He headed to the door, pausing to say, “I’ll see you tonight, Viren.”

Then he was gone. 

Viren sank into his seat, finally feeling like he could breathe again. He covered his hands with his face, wishing he could stop shaking. 

“Tonight? Do you think that’s wise, Dad?” Claudia asked, quietly. 

“It’s just dinner, Claudia,” he answered, letting his hands fall to his sides. 

She huffed, shaking her head, and crossed her arms. “That’s not what I’m talking about, Dad. You were finally starting to move on, but now you’re leaping headfirst back into an unrequited love.”

Viren slammed his hand on the desk, making his daughter jump. “Damn it, Claudia. It’s just dinner.”

“Fine,” she whispered, turning away. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing.” She stormed out of his office, pulling the door shut behind her. 

Viren’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out to check the message. Unsurprisingly, it was Aaravos.

_Tonight. My place. I have a special surprise for you, my love._

A stone of guilt dropped onto his stomach and Viren typed in a reply.

_Sorry, I can’t come over tonight. Harrow is…_

With a frustrated growl, he deleted the message. It was just a platonic meeting between two friends who wanted to catch up. There was no reason to feel like he was going behind Aaravos’ back, but, at the same time, he felt like he needed to hide the truth to avoid any misunderstandings. 

So, he typed back: _Sorry. Can’t make it. Claudia is really sick and I need to stay home to make sure she is okay._

Before he could change his mind, he hit the send button. Aaravos’ reply was nearly immediate and his message made Viren feel worse.

_Of course. Another night. I hope Claudia feels better soon. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help._

Viren set the phone down with a grimace. He sure hoped he knew what he was doing, too.


	17. Was it Worth It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viren meets up with Harrow for a one-on-one dinner. It was supposed to be a chance for them to talk things out. To mend their friendship. But at what price? Will Viren's lie to Aaravos catch up to him? And, if it does, is his relationship with Harrow worth losing his connection with Aaravos?

Viren stared at the photo that Harrow had pulled out of his wallet, feeling an overwhelming sense of emptiness. His eyes immediately went to the woman with her hand on Harrow’s arm. She was looking at her husband with obvious affection.

It pissed Viren off. 

The son that Harrow had mentioned was clearly from his wife’s previous relationship, but the younger boy was undoubtedly Harrow’s by blood. They shared the same smile.

As much as he hated to admit it, Harrow had a beautiful family.

Viren hated them with a fiery passion. 

“They’re lovely,” he replied, handing the picture back to Harrow, who took it with a grateful smile. 

“Thank you.” He tucked the photo back into his wallet and said, “I can’t believe how grown-up Claudia is now. She’s turned into a beautiful young lady. I imagine Soren looks a lot like you now?”

Viren nodded, pushing his vegetables around on his plate. He needed a moment to let the anger he was feeling subside. If Harrow had stayed in Katolis instead of vanishing all those years ago, he would have witnessed her become the lady she was today. 

He could still remember the day that he had explained to his children that Uncle Harrow was gone. Soren had cried and pouted, but Claudia had stared up at him with a blank expression that was eerily too mature for her young face. 

_“He left you just like mother did.”_

Her words had stung him back then and had stayed with him for all these years. He was no good. No one could ever love him and he would eventually drive away anyone who he became chose with.

He shifted in his seat, thinking about Aaravos’ inevitable betrayal. 

“Viren?”

He blinked and looked at Harrow with an apologetic smile. His thoughts had distracted him and he realized that he had been staring at his food instead of replying to Harrow’s words. 

What had they been talking about? All Viren could think about was the photograph of Harrow’s family. 

“Maybe this was a bad idea?” Harrow sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“No!” Viren shouted, reaching out for Harrow’s hand that was on the table. His fingers stopped, inches away, afraid to touch him in case it made him uncomfortable. Retracting his hand, Viren lowered his voice and added, “I’m glad we are talking. I just got lost in memories.”

Harrow hesitated then nodded. 

“We sure have a lot of those, don’t we?” he chuckled and reached for the glass of wine by his plate. He brought it up to his lips, but another laugh prevented him from taking a sip. 

“Do you remember that time in school where you covered me in mud and rubble and we convinced the younger students that I was a real golem?”

Viren laughed. “How could I forget? They ran off screaming, leaving their lunches behind in their panic.” He hummed happily at the memory. “We ate like kings that day.”

Harrow’s smile fell and he looked at Viren with a familiar annoyed expression. 

“Yes, but the teachers forced us to bring lunch for the entire younger class the next day as punishment. You were always getting me into trouble with all your reckless ideas,” he said, but there was a hint of amusement in his tone.

Viren gave him a helpless shrug and replied, “You were only too eager to join me in all my crazy schemes. I felt like I had to one-up my last prank to impress you.”

Harrow grinned, drinking his wine and Viren watched him, feeling his heart burst with warmth. It felt nice to be able to talk to him like this. It was almost as though Harrow had been gone for a few days, instead of years. 

The wine glass clinked against the fork as Harrow placed it back on the table, eyes focused on Viren instead of where he was setting it down. 

“Can I ask you something?” 

Viren nodded.

“What do you think of Aaravos?” Harrow inquired.

Before he knew it, Viren’s lips had parted in surprise and the color drained from his face. His heart started racing. Why was Harrow asking him about Aaravos?

Oblivious to the panic that he had caused with his question, Harrow added, “You work with him the most since Katolis is where headquarters are, so you might be able to soothe some of my concerns about this promotion.” He frowned. “There’s something about him. I don’t know what it is, but he rubs me the wrong way.”

“Oh?” was all Viren managed to get out. 

“When he was visiting in Evenere, he kept pestering me for a photo together for his blog and refused to accept that I didn’t want my picture online.” Harrow shook his head, narrowing his eyes, as though even the memory of Aaravos angered him. 

“Eventually, I gave up and let him take his stupid photo. He thanked me, saying it was going to help a lot.”

Viren cocked his head to the side, attention piqued. “Help with what?”

Harrow shook his head again and answered, “He wouldn’t say, which is part of the reason why I don’t trust him. If I take this promotion, I’ll be at the headquarters, working with him on a daily basis. So, what do you think, Viren? Am I overreacting?”

No words came to him. Viren wished that he could immediately reply with a, of course you can trust him, but he was being consumed with doubt after Harrow’s story. 

It was no secret that Viren had been in love with Harrow so it was reasonable to assume that Aaravos could have found out. The photo of Aaravos and Harrow together had prompted Viren to talk to him. The revelation that Harrow was married had broken him and Aaravos had been there to help piece him back together. 

Had that been Aaravos’ plan all along? To break Viren’s heart so he could be the one to repair it?

“I’ll take your hesitation as a sign that I’m not overreacting,” Harrow replied, drawing Viren’s attention. 

“Uh, no,” he murmured, shaking his head to clear his thoughts of conspiracies. “I think you can trust him. You were always such a hard worker, Harrow. You deserve this promotion and I think you would be a fool to turn down such a great opportunity.”

Harrow bit his lip in hesitance. Then he exhaled and gave him an appreciative smile.

“Thank you, Viren. I have to admit that it would be nice to come back home. I tell my boys about Katolis all the time and they have been pestering me to come here for years now.”

“And your wife? Would she be willing to move here?”

There was a pained expression in Harrow’s face that took Viren by surprise. A grief that made his heart skip a beat. He knew that expression. That look of longing and loss.

“Sarai… She, uh… She passed a couple years ago,” he answered. 

Viren’s eyes widened. She had died? But Aaravos had told him that Harrow was in a committed marriage. 

“I’m so sorry, Harrow. I didn’t know know. I thought-”

Harrow held up his hand, smiling sadly, and interrupted, “It’s fine, Viren. How could you have known? I should have told you, but it’s still difficult to talk about.”

“Of course,” Viren breathed, heart racing.

Aaravos had lied to him. He had purposely mislead Viren into believing that Harrow was happily married— beyond his reach, and maybe he was, but not because of a vow that his friend had made at an altar. Harrow was grieving the loss of the woman he loved, but Viren could be there for him. Comfort him. Then maybe…

He clenched his hands together and chastised himself. Viren had just found out that Harrow’s wife had died and his immediate response was to try to seduce him. 

He was sick.

“I’ll take your words into consideration while I think about the promotion,” Harrow said, pushing his empty plate away. “Thank you, Viren. It was nice being able to spend time together like this again.”

Viren swallowed and nodded, unable to speak because of the dryness in his throat. He picked up his wine glass and took a long sip, as Harrow placed money over the bill that had arrived without Viren even noticing. 

“Perhaps we can do this again? And maybe we could bring our children?”

Viren forced a smile and replied, “Yes. Of course. I would like that.”

“I’ll talk to you soon, old friend.”

Harrow grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair then walked towards the door. He paused and looked back, giving Viren one last smile before disappearing from sight. 

Letting out a deep breath, Viren tried to slow his rapid heartbeat. His eyes narrowed and he pulled out his phone, ready to send Aaravos an angry text message, but he remembered that he had lied, claiming that he had been home all night with Claudia.

Then he noticed the Photogram notification. Claudia was livestreaming. 

In a panic, Viren clicked on the link and nearly choked when he saw her holding up an armload of canned soup with Aaravos standing next to her in their home.

“So he brought me over every possible soup that you can imagine!” she was saying. “I honestly have the best boss. I only wish that I was actually sick so I felt less guilty about Aaravos coming all this way for nothing.”

Viren’s breath caught in his throat. 

“Shit,” he whispered.


	18. Prove It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viren heads home, knowing that Aaravos would be there, waiting to confront him about his lie. Can the two of them work things out or will this betrayal of trust be the end of their rocky relationship?

Even though he knew Aaravos would be in his home when he arrived, it was still startling to see him sitting on the couch in his tiny living room. The elf looked extremely out of place— like a king who had taken a wrong turn and ended up in the home of a humble peasant. 

Their eyes met from across the room and Viren immediately felt as though his breath had been ripped from his throat. He had expected Aaravos to be angry with him. To look at him with an expression of animosity or betrayal. But the elf smiled at him, which made the fear balling in Viren’s stomach all the more heavy. 

“Soren,” Claudia hissed.

Viren’s gaze went to his son, who was on the floor, doing one-handed pushups.

“Shut up, Claudia. I’m almost there,” he muttered, lowering his body then pushing himself back up. “Two hundred eighty four.”

Aaravos cleared his throat and rose from the couch. He started clapping and said, “Well done, Soren. You have truly proven me wrong. Five hundred pushups is an easy task for you.”

Soren let his body fall to the floor then rolled onto his back, panting. There was a large, satisfied grin on his face. Then his eyes narrowed and he shot Claudia a glare. 

“See? I told you I could do it, Clauds.”

His sister rolled her eyes then helped him up, saying, “Yeah, yeah. You are super strong and always right. Time to go to bed.”

Soren glanced at Viren, who was still standing awkwardly by the opened front door. His eyes widened and he looked back at Claudia. 

“Right. That thing you were telling me about,” he said.

Claudia shot Aaravos a smile as she dragged Soren off to the hall that led down to their bedrooms. 

“Thank you again for the soups. I will keep them for the next time one of us gets sick. Have a good night,” she said then glanced at her father. “Night, Dad.”

Then they disappeared around the corner, leaving Viren and Aaravos alone in the quiet room.

Viren closed the door then looked at Aaravos, wondering if the elf was going to initiate the conversation or if he would have to be the one to do it. When Aaravos merely continued to stare at him with those haunting eyes of his, Viren steeled his heart, forcing any fear he felt to be silenced.

“You lied to me,” he started.

“I did no such thing,” Aaravos replied calmly. 

Viren scowled, clenching his hands into fists, and argued, “You did. You told me that Harrow was happily married.”

Aaravos slowly folded his arms across his chest. The drawn out movement intimidated Viren and he flinched when the elf smiled.

“I said nothing of the sort. I told you that Harrow loves his wife and he does. The man is still grieving the loss of his true love.”

His words stung.

“Harrow is still very much married to the ghost of his wife. He’s not ready to move on, nor should he be pressured into doing so,” Aaravos added, purposely emphasizing the last half of that sentence. 

Viren growled, “Are you giving me advice on how to behave around my best friend? That’s rich.”

Finally, Aaravos’ face twisted into one of anger. “You are deluded, Viren. Harrow may have been your best friend years ago, but he isn’t now. You know nothing about him. Tell me. How did his wife die? When were his sons born? Do you even know their names?”

The elf took a step forward, throwing his hands down in exasperation. “Yes, I may have consciously kept Sarai’s passing from you, but I was only trying to help you.”

“Help me?” Viren repeated, incredulous. “Help me, how?”

Aaravos stormed up to him and looked down at him in fury. It was odd seeing so much emotion on his usually calm face. The anger excited Viren. 

“Do you honestly need to ask me such a question?” he demanded. “Harrow will never love you, Viren. It’s time you accepted that.”

The moment the words left his lips, Aaravos’ expression softened and he sighed, reaching up to stroke Viren’s face. His hand was struck away and the human moved away from him. 

“Fuck you, Aaravos,” he hissed.

The elf stared at him, a disappointed frown appearing on his face. He shook his head and replied, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so harsh.” Aaravos took a step towards him and paused, waiting to see if Viren would retreat. When the human remained where he stood, the elf took another step closer. He walked up to Viren and gently gripped his wrist between his elven fingers. 

Viren’s body began to tremble. He knew Aaravos was right. Harrow would never return Viren’s feelings, regardless if Sarai was alive or dead. Viren would only ever be a friend to him and nothing was going to change that, no matter how much Viren wished it. 

But Aaravos was here, ready and willing to be with him. 

His gaze drifted to Aaravos’ golden eyes and he asked, “Could you ever love me?”

The elf’s eyes widened for a moment then he looked away. His lips pursed together and Viren watched as the Adam’s apple in his throat bobbed as he swallowed. Finally, their stares locked and Aaravos answered softly, “I already do, my love.”

Viren’s lips quivered and he wrapped his arm around Aaravos’ neck. He kissed him with as much passion as he could muster, pressing his body against the elf’s. 

Aaravos might have been lying to him, but Viren no longer cared. He rather live in a lie where someone loved him than continue to live in a reality of loneliness. 

“Why?” he asked when he pulled away. “Why would you ever love someone like me?”

Aaravos considered for a moment, staring into Viren’s eyes, then admitted, “I don’t know.”

A scowl appeared on Viren’s face, but Aaravos continued before he could reply, “All I know is, the best part of my day is when I get see or talk to you. You, Viren, are my first thought when I wake up and the last thing on my mind when I drift to sleep. Being with you makes me happy and I feel less lonely when we are together. I feel like you are they only one who could truly understand me.”

He stroked Viren’s cheek and added, “Perhaps it is because you understand what it is to love someone so deeply, but are unable to be with them. To be betrayed. To feel trapped— imprisoned— all because you were in love with the wrong person.”

Viren was unable to stop the surprise that appeared on his face. It was only then that he realized he had never once stopped to learn more about Aaravos’ life. He was so wrapped up in his own world, that Viren never expressed interest in what the elf was going through. Even when they had been chatting on the phone, Viren had asked about the places Aaravos was visiting and not about how he was enjoying the trip or how his day went. 

He had been completely self-absorbed. How could Aaravos love someone like that?

“Prove it,” he whispered.

Aaravos raised an eyebrow, clearly confused about what he was supposed to prove. 

“Convince me that you love me,” Viren ordered. 

Aaravos gave him a wicked grin and pinned Viren against the wall with his body. His hands gripped Viren’s thighs and he lifted him so the human could wrap his legs around Aaravos’ hips.

“Gladly, my love,” the elf replied.

He kissed Viren, dragging his tongue along the back of Viren’s teeth. Tightening his grip around Viren’s thighs, he moved away from the wall and carried his human over to the couch, where he roughly threw him down. Aaravos crawled over him like a predator in heat, eyes leering at Viren’s body, breaths coming out in short bursts.

Viren stared up at him with a matching desire. He knew that he should have suggested they at least move into his bedroom so the noise they would undoubtedly make would be buffered by walls and a door, but his words failed to formulate past his lips. Soren and Claudia would just have to put on headphones or try to sleep through it.

Aaravos wasted no time, pulling Viren’s pants off and tossing them to the floor. He unzipped his own pants and pulled his dick out, rubbing it gently to get it to harden. 

Viren sat up.

“Let me,” he said, putting his hands on Aaravos’ hips. His lips enveloped the elf’s tip. A whimper escaped his lips. How he had missed the taste of Aaravos’ beautiful cock. 

Aaravos moaned, letting go of his dick and put his hands on Viren’s head. His fingers spread throughout his hair, massaging Viren’s scalp. It took almost no time for Viren to suck him into hardness and precum started to leak from his tip. 

The elf pushed his head away and ordered, “Lie down.”

Viren’s eyes lingered on Aaravos’ erect dick and obeyed, laying on his back. He spread his legs and begged, “Fill me up, Aaravos. I need you inside of me.”

Aaravos game him a confident smirk and pulled Viren so his butt was against the elf’s thighs. “As you command, my love.”

He pressed his tip against Viren’s hole and chuckled as it slid in without protest, as though it had been waiting for him since last night. As soon as he was fully inside, Viren’s body tightened around him. 

“Ah,” Viren gasped as Aaravos began to move. “It… feels different.”

Aaravos smiled down at him and answered, “Well, there’s no ring this time. Nor did I think to bring a condom.”

Viren bit his lip, feeling his cheeks turn red. It felt nice this way. More intimate. 

Aaravos thrust hard, surprising Viren. He wailed, trying to grab ahold of the couch cushions to steady himself, but the elf was bucking too hard, too frequently, that his hands failed to grip anything. 

“Fuck,” Viren gasped, covering his face with his hands. Aaravos’ cock felt so good.

He felt the elf grip his wrists and his hands were pulled away from his face. Aaravos pinned them above Viren’s head and said, “I want to be able to see you, Viren.”

His thrusting slowed and the elf leaned forward, kissing Viren gently. Their lips fit perfectly together and the tenderness of the kiss surprised Viren. It felt less about the physical connection and more about connecting emotionally… As though Aaravos was kissing him out of love instead of a heated lust. 

The elf pulled away and continued thrusting into him. His pace quickened, making Viren moan loudly. 

The human reached down and started rubbing his dick, while he stared up at Aaravos’ face in fondness. He loved the star-like freckles upon the elf’s skin and he tried to memorize the position of each one. 

Aaravos’ hands tightened around Viren’s wrists and his body shuddered as he came inside his human. 

Viren’s eyes widened as his insides filled with a hot liquid and he felt his own dick tremble, cum splattering over the dress shirt he was still wearing.

Aaravos pulled out of him and Viren felt like a part of his stomach was being ripped out with it. His body was reluctant to part with the elf’s member. It belonged inside him. 

Viren panted, stomach rising and falling rapidly as he stared up at his lover. He noticed that Aaravos was still hard and raised an eyebrow, as though asking if the elf wanted a second round.

As an answer, Aaravos inched forward then lowered himself over Viren’s face, forcing his cock into the human’s mouth. It was almost impossible for Viren to anything besides let the elf thrust into his mouth. He tried to suck, but the rapid movement and the depth that Aaravos’ cock was reaching forced Viren to concentrate solely on trying not to gag. 

Just when he thought he could take no more abuse, Aaravos came again. His hot semen felt good against Viren’s raw throat. 

The elf moved away, breathing heavily. He sat on Viren’s stomach, face twisting with desperation. He was still hard. Aaravos started rubbing himself against the fabric of Viren’s dress shirt.

“Viren, you drive me crazy,” he gasped, fondling his nipple, while his other fingers played with the tip of his throbbing dick. 

Overwhelmed with desire, Viren forced himself up, knocking Aaravos over. The elf landed on his back with a yelp and before he could recover, Viren grabbed his calves, spreading his legs wide.

“Viren, what are-”

A scream cutoff his words as Viren forced himself inside of Aaravos. The elf glared up at him with gritted teeth and tears in his eyes.

“You idiot. You can’t just stick it in like that,” he grumbled.

Viren offered no apology and, instead, started moving slowly. Back and forth. 

A pleasured moan tingled his ears as Aaravos’ scowl turned into a grin. The elf bit his lip, closing his eyes, and began to move his body in tandem with Viren’s slow movements. 

He bucked harder, wanting to hear Aaravos scream again.

“Fuck, Viren,” he murmured, hands cradling his head. “Harder.”

Viren complied, moving faster, forcing himself as deeply as he could into the elf. 

“Yes,” Aaravos purred. “Yes. Just like that.”

Viren thrust again, again. Over and over. He was lost in euphoria and Aaravos’ screams only launched him further into ignorant bliss. He loved hearing the elf scream his name.

“Vi…” Aaravos gasped. “Ngh, I can’t. I’m going to…”

Viren’s butt buckled and he felt his cock tremble inside of the elf, just as Aaravos released a load, as well. Unable to support himself, Viren fell onto Aaravos’ sticky body and his dick gently slid out of the elf’s hole. 

They stayed that way for awhile, neither one of them able to regain their breath.

Finally, Aaravos hummed into Viren’s ear and put a hand on the back of the human’s head. 

“So? Did I convince you, my love?”

Viren buried his face into Aaravos’ chest, face warm with affection.

“Yes.”


	19. Marking His Territory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though Aaravos was only too eager to prove to Viren that his confession of love was no lie, there is still the issue of dishonestly to discuss. When Viren fails to tell Aaravos that he loves him in return, the elf starts to feel anxious that his lover might be pinning for another... A certain man named, Harrow, perhaps?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was directly inspired by Leaf's incredible art found here: https://twitter.com/littleleafbun/status/1122630487313457152

Viren’s eyes fluttered open and he was greeted by the familiar view of his bedroom. Sunlight trickled in from the window and the faint chirping of birds drifted through the glass.

His room was already warm from the summer heat, but his body felt hotter than usual. It was only then that Viren realized there was an arm over his chest, pulling him into an embrace. He could feel soft breaths against the back of his neck. Viren smiled to himself, leaning back into Aaravos’ hold.

The elf’s grasp tightened and his lips nuzzled into the crook of Viren’s neck. He hummed softly with contentment. 

“Good morning, my love.”

Viren placed his hand over Aaravos’ and replied, “Good morning.”

They had eventually made it into Viren’s bedroom after their rounds of love making in the living room, and continued throughout the night. The elf had the stamina of a god and Viren felt guilty that he had to stop and rest while Aaravos satisfied himself by rubbing his dick between Viren’s clenched thighs. 

“Take the day off,” Aaravos told him, nibbling gently on the nape of Viren’s neck.

“I can’t,” the human sighed, pushing back the blankets. He stood, body aching in nearly every joint. Viren let out a groan, rubbing his lower back. If Aaravos expected him to be able to do this every evening, the elf would be disappointed. 

“Besides, I need some time to recover, Aaravos,” he admitted.

Aaravos propped himself up, putting his chin in his palm. He watched as Viren walked over to his dresser and started pulling out clean clothing. 

“Viren,” he said softly, sitting up fully. His expression seemed hesitant and he ran his hand through his disheveled hair. “I need you to promise me that you won’t lie to me again.”

Viren looked at him, feeling a weight drop in his stomach. He had hoped that they would skip this conversation since they had jumped straight into the make-up sex, but evidently Aaravos decided not to let Viren’s dishonesty go. 

“I’m sorry I lied about my meeting with Harrow,” Viren apologized and cleared his throat. “It won’t happen again.”

The elf frowned. “You still care for him.”

Viren knew it wasn’t a question, but he answered anyway. “I do,” he whispered. “I will always care for him.”

Aaravos looked away. “I see.”

The room filled with silence and Viren let out a deep breath, as he pulled on a pair of briefs and jogging pants. “I’m going to take a shower. You can take one, too, if you want?”

As an answer, Aaravos merely laid back in the bed and stared up at the ceiling with narrowed eyes. There was obviously something bothering him, but Viren decided to leave him be and walked out of the room.

Claudia was sitting at the breakfast table, munching away on cereal and Soren was standing in the kitchen, holding a mug of coffee. He had dark circles under his eyes and almost looked as though he were going to fall asleep standing up.

“Good morning, Dad,” Claudia said with a smile. She seemed perfectly well rested, unlike Soren. 

“Uh, good morning,” he replied, wondering if he should apologize for making so much noise during the evening. Figuring it was best to pretend that nothing had happened, Viren continued on his way to the bathroom, keeping his eyes on the floor.

He flipped on the light and immediately noticed the bruises and bite marks that Aaravos had left all over his body. Viren’s fingers rubbed against a particularly prominent hickey, cheeks burning from the memory of Aaravos’ lips against his flesh.

Smiling, he stepped into the shower and turned on the water. It felt nice against his sweaty skin so Viren simply stood in the shower, letting the water strike his back for a few minutes. The relaxation diminished as worry started to creep into his ming. What had been bothering Aaravos? Viren scowled to himself. He should have asked what was wrong, but he wanted to avoid confrontation now that things were finally starting to feel like they could actually have a meaningful relationship with one another.

Anxious to get back to Aaravos, Viren quickly wiped himself clean then stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist, picked up his clothes then walked out into the hall. 

“Geez, Dad,” Soren muttered, covering his eyes with a hand. “Put on some clothes.” He hurried into his bedroom and slammed the door shut.

“Don’t mind him,” Claudia called from around the corner. “Apparently he lost his headphones earlier in the week and didn’t get any sleep. But he’ll get over it.”

Viren walked into the kitchen and cleared his throat. “I, um, I’m sorry if I made you two uncomfortable last night.”

Claudia shook her head. “It’s okay, Dad. Sex is a natural thing and I’m just glad to see you so happy again.” She let out a laugh, handing him a mug of coffee. “Of course, you probably shouldn’t make this a habit, okay?”

He took the mug with a grateful nod.

“He left, by the way,” Claudia told her father. 

Viren nearly choked on his coffee. Aaravos had left without even saying goodbye? Whatever had been bothering the elf must have been fairly serious. Viren thought back to their conversation and wondered if he had done something to upset him. The only thing that he could think of was that Aaravos was upset that Viren had admitted he still cared about Harrow, but that was the truth. Even if Viren could move on, he would always care for the man that he considered his best friend, just like he cared for his other friends, like Runaan, Gren and even the Crow Master. 

“He told me to tell you that he would stop by the office later today,” Claudia continued.

Viren nodded and set the mug of coffee down on the counter. Once they reunited at the office, Viren would have to try to explain that he had meant he would always care for Harrow because they were friends.

Eager to clear things up, Viren hurried to work. He kept himself busy with reports and client calls for the first half of the day, but as time continued to stretch on, Viren started to worry that Aaravos decided not to come see him, after all.

His direct line started ringing and he picked it up, hoping it was Aaravos, but he was surprised when Harrow’s voice greeted him.

“Sorry to call you at work,” he said. “But I’m heading back to Evenere later tonight and I just wanted to make sure you knew.”

Viren smiled, leaning back in his chair. “Thank you, Harrow. I appreciate the sentiment.” He picked up his pen and tapped it gently against the stack of paperwork on his desk. “Have you made your mind up about the promotion?”

There was silence for a moment then Harrow answered, “I have. I think it would be nice to come back home. My boys are excited to come to Katolis and I think a fresh start is exactly what all four of us need.”

“Four?”

“Yes, Sarai’s sister, Amaya, will be coming with us. She’s been such a great help with the boys since…” He cleared his throat. “Anyways, um, I sent in my response earlier this morning, accepting the promotion. So as long as everything is processed by head office, I will be moving back to Katolis by the end of the month.”

Viren’s smile grew even larger and he set the pen down. “That’s great, Harrow.”

The office door opened and Viren glanced up, annoyed that someone had just barged in without knocking. Then he saw that it was Aaravos and the anger immediately faded. He gave Aaravos a slight nod, pointing to the phone, as though to inform him he would be with the elf shortly. 

Aaravos raised an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest with a frown.

“I was hoping you could maybe help me find a good school for Ezran and Callum?” Harrow continued, drawing Viren’s attention once more. 

“Um, of course,” he answered, standing up. He held up a finger, silently asking for one more minute, hoping the elf would wait while Viren wrapped up his conversation.

“Thank you, Viren,” Harrow said. “Ez would need an elementary school still, but he’s pretty shy so something smaller might be best?”

Viren was only half paying attention to his words. The other half of him was watching Aaravos. The elf licked his lips and walked behind him. His body pressed against Viren’s and his fingers started unbuttoning his dress shirt. 

Viren shoved him away, eyes drifting over to his office windows with the open blinds. He covered the phone receiver with a hand and hissed, “Stop it.”

Aaravos scowled, but pulled his hands away. 

Viren picked up his pen again and started jotting down notes. Ezran, shy, small school. 

“I know a few schools that might be suitable,” Viren said into the phone. He was about to ask about Callum when he felt Aaravos’ hands around his hips. The elf slid Viren’s belt off and forced his hand into the human’s pants. A small gasp escaped his mouth and Viren leaned into Aaravos.

“If you could send me that information, that would be wonderful,” Harrow was saying. “I can go over the schools with Ez over the weekend.”

“Ah, of— of course,” Viren managed as Aaravos’ hand tugged on his dick roughly. 

“Is everything okay?” Harrow asked.

Viren nodded, hand tightening around the phone. He bit his lip, trying to hold back a moan. 

“Fine,” he managed.

Harrow hesitated, but said, “Look, I really called because I wanted to make sure everything was okay between us.”

Viren leaned forward, a hand going down to the desk’s surface to steady himself as his body neared climax. 

“Ngh, it’s… it’s fine, Harrow,” Viren gasped.

Aaravos’ hand stopped and he pulled away. 

Viren turned, looking up at him in fury. He had no idea what Aaravos was thinking, doing something like that where everyone could see them. While he was on the phone. With Harrow, of all people. 

His glare seemed to cause the opposite reaction than Viren had intended because Aaravos shoved Viren down against the desk, making the phone slip out of his hand. 

“Do you think Harrow will get hard when he hears you moaning?” Aaravos asked, unzipping his pants. “I’ll fuck you extra hard so you’re nice and loud for him.”

Viren’s face twisted with anger. “Don’t you dare,” he growled, but Aaravos pulled Viren’s pants off his hips and forced himself inside before the human could pull away.

Despite everything, Viren let out a cry of pleasure. He loved feeling Aaravos inside him. 

“Viren? Are you still there?” the soft voice of Harrow came from the receiver. 

Viren looked at the phone. He knew he should have tried to hang it up, but part of him wanted Harrow to hear— wanted Harrow to know that Viren had moved on.

“Sorry, my love, but you were simply too tempting,” Aaravos said and he thrust forward.

“Ahnn!” Viren gasped. 

Aaravos leaned forward, pushing himself deep inside of Viren. His fingers went to the phone, but instead of hanging up, he put it on speaker.

“Viren?” Harrow’s voice tried again.

Aaravos pushed harder and Viren let out a moan. The room filled with the sound of their bodies hitting one another and the squelching of Aaravos’ cock moving in and out of Viren.

“Fuck,” Viren whispered, curling his fingers into fists. “Harder, Aaravos.”

“As you command, my love.”

The elf bucked against him as hard as he could and Viren’s body started to reach climax again. He wailed as Aaravos gave one final push then came inside him. Viren shuddered, coming.  
He panted as Aaravos pulled out and felt cum start to leak down his inner thighs. 

The phone started beeping, indicating that there was no longer anyone on the other line and a horrified scowl appeared on Viren’s face. He straightened, pulled up his pants and glared at Aaravos. 

“What were you thinking?”

The elf gave him a helpless shrug and pulled his pants back over his hips. “I just couldn’t help myself.”

Viren sighed and shook his head. How would he ever be able to face Harrow after this? Still… Viren wished he could have seen Harrow’s face when he realized what was happening. 

“Don’t do anything like that again,” Viren ordered and ran his hand through his hair. 

He turned and was surprised to see the Crow Master holding his hoodie over the window, trying to act as a makeshift curtain. 

Despite himself, Viren barked out a soft laugh, “That kid deserves a raise.”


	20. It's Too Late to Apologize

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The beginning of the end! The last arc of my Office!AU. What will become of Viren and Aaravos' relationship? Can Viren finally put his feelings for Harrow in the past? Will Crow Master get that raise?! All will come to a close soon.
> 
> Thank you all for sticking with me! Hope you will like these last remaining chapters and please check out my newest Viravos AU: Strings of Fate are Cruel and Tangled. Chapter one is available on this account. It's more story driven with a lot less smut, but I am very excited to explore the world from a young Aaravos' point of view and I hope you all will like it, too!

Gren looked at Viren then back to Aaravos. His mouth opened to speak, but no words were uttered between his lips. He merely continued to stare at them, flabbergasted.

“Um, if we aren’t going to say anything, can I go back to my desk?” Crow Master asked and all six eyes turned to him. Crow sank into his seat and let out a nervous laugh. “Or, I can keep sitting here in silence. That’s fine, too.”

Finally, Gren let out a deep sigh and looked at Aaravos. “I suspect there is no point in filing paperwork since it would end up on your desk in the morning?”

The elf smirked. “Precisely. I have no plans to fire myself or Viren so why don’t we all go back to work and stop wasting company time on trivial matters?”

Gren narrowed his eyes. “With all due respect, this is far from a _trivial_ matter, Aaravos.” He turned his attention to Viren. “Surely, you can understand how incredibly inappropriate this is, Viren?”

“I do,” he replied, sending Aaravos a sideways glance. “It won’t happen again. I promise you.”

Gren covered his face with his hands, letting out an exasperated breath. With a shake of his head, he let his hands fall onto his lap, and faced Crow Master. 

“Is there anything you would like to say to Viren or Aaravos, Crow?”

The young man straightened and his face turned red as he looked at his two superiors, who were both watching him with expectant expressions on their faces. 

“Um,” he started, quickly looking back at Gren. “I, uh. You make a lovely couple?”

Aaravos chuckled and Viren covered his mouth with a hand, hiding his grin. 

“Okay! You can go, Crow,” Gren groaned. 

The young man rose from his seat, giving them all an awkward bow then hurried out of the annex before anyone could change their mind about dismissing him. 

Gren pinched the bridge of his nose, still clearly bothered by situation. He pulled out two pieces of paper and two pens. 

“I want you both to write an apology letter to the employees who weren’t fortunate enough to be on their lunch break during the incident. And give Crow a verbal apology. The boy should never have been exposed to such indecent behaviour at work.”

Viren took the pens and paper from Gren’s hands without argument. The HR representative stood and glanced at the clock. 

“I will give you thirty minutes. Fail to get the letters completed and I will have no choice but to file a report and send it to the board of directors.”

Aaravos rolled his eyes, but took the pen and paper from Viren, placing it on the desk before him. 

Gren walked out of the annex, leaving them alone.

“This is exciting,” Aaravos said, leaning closer to Viren. “It feels like I am back in school, being punished by my teacher.”

Viren frowned, moving away from the elf. “Stop it, Aaravos. This isn’t a joke. You might be safe from the board, but I could lose my job.”

“I would fire the entire board if they tried anything like that,” the elf replied, matter of factly. 

They sat in silence for a moment then Viren started tapping the pen against Gren’s desk. His eyes drifted over to Aaravos, who was watching him with consideration. 

“There’s something on your mind,” he said.

Viren nodded and asked, “Why did you do that? And don’t give me that I couldn’t help it bullshit.” He gritted his teeth together. “I’m so embarrassed.”

Aaravos’ annoyingly charming smirk reappeared on his face. “You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it. Your body suggested that you loved every second of it.”

Viren’s face turned red and he cleared his throat, “Yes, well, that’s besides the point. You can’t just do stuff like that, Aaravos. And why did you put Harrow on speaker phone?”

The elf’s eyes narrowed and the pen in his hand cracked under the pressure of his grasp.

“You lied to me, Viren. Then you tell me that you still have feelings for him after I told you I loved you. Do you realize how alarming it was for me for you not to say it back? I kept hoping that you would speak those words to me at some point during the night. But you never did. Then I come to your work, only to find you chatting with him. It infuriated me. I wanted him to know that you belong to me.”

Viren blinked. That was a lot of information for him to process all at once. He had no idea how to respond, or even which point to address first. While he felt a sense of warmth that Aaravos was jealous over Harrow, Viren was angry that the elf had let those emotions control him like that. If Aaravos had found out that Runaan had made advances on Viren, would the startouched elf bend him over Runaan’s desk and take him there, too?

The thought excited Viren, but he shook his head, forcing the image of Aaravos fucking him while Runaan sat, watching, out of his head. 

“I don’t belong to you, Aaravos,” Viren replied calmly. “Harrow is my friend and I am going to talk to him. Especially since he’s moving back to Katolis.”

Aaravos stood, a pained expression on his face. For a moment, it looked like he was going to say something, but he simply turned and started to walk away.

“Aaravos, wait!” Viren cried, rising from his seat. 

The elf hesitated, looking over his shoulder.

Viren knew he should be telling Aaravos the truth about his feelings, but the problem was, he had no idea how he felt. His mind was a confused mess. He had wanted to be with Harrow for so long. Viren dreamed about it so often. But the moment Aaravos had barged into his life, those thoughts had become infrequent then disappeared entirely after the first time they had had sex.

Every time they were together, Aaravos was the only person on Viren’s mind. Even with Harrow on the phone, Viren was only thinking about how desperate his body was for Aaravos’ touch.

But… Did he love Aaravos?

“Your letter,” he whispered, pathetically.

Aaravos’ expression hardened and the elf stormed up to the desk. He scribbled, _I’m sorry_ , and signed his name on the paper then slammed the pen down.

He stared at the pen under his fingers for a moment then looked at Viren with a vulnerable grimace. “Am I wasting my time?” he asked.

“What?”

“Do you love me, Viren? Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that you love me?”

Viren swallowed the lump in his throat, eyes widening. He looked away and clutched the fabric of his sleeve cuffs tightly. 

The silence between them stretched on for too long and Aaravos moved away.

“I see,” he sighed.

Aaravos started to leave.

Viren took a step forward, reaching out for him, but he hesitated. He desperately wanted to be able to tell Aaravos that he loved him, but Viren had promised not to lie again, and, as it stood, he knew that he had yet to fall in love with the elf. There was something he needed to do before he could give his heart to Aaravos.

So, Viren simply watched the elf walk away without trying to stop him.

“Forgive me, Aaravos.”


	21. Then Along Came Aaravos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Closure.

“Harrow!” Viren shouted, breathing heavily.

His old friend turned, setting his luggage down and rubbed the back of his neck. Harrow’s eyes remained lowered, unable to look Viren in the face. 

Taking in a deep breath, Viren walked over to him, grateful that he had made it to the airport before Harrow had the chance to clear TSA. Now, Viren just had to hope that his car would still be illegally parked in the drop-off area that he had ran from to meet his friend. 

“Harrow,” Viren said again, once he was merely inches away from the man he had loved for nearly all his life. “There is something I need to say to you.”

Harrow finally met his gaze and frowned, but remained silent, giving Viren unspoken permission to continue.

“I’m with Aaravos now,” he admitted, making Harrow flinch.

“I, uh, kind of figured that after that phone call,” Harrow murmured. “You could have told me when we were discussing him over dinner. Though, now I can see why you hesitated to answer my question about him.”

Viren shook his head. “That’s not what I wanted to say.” He looked directly into Harrow’s eyes and said, “I loved you, Harrow. A part of me always will.”

Harrow opened his mouth to reply, but Viren continued before he could speak.

“I know you will never love me in the same way that I did you, and that’s okay. I don’t need you to. Not anymore. And even though I will always consider you my best friend, I will never be able to forgive you for abandoning me like you did.”

Harrow’s eyes widened, clearly taken aback by Viren’s words. Still, he went on. Now that he was finally expressing what was on his mind, there was no way he would allow himself to stop until everything was off his chest.

“I understood why my wife left. I tried to convince myself that I was in love with her. I thought if I kept telling myself she was my soulmate, eventually I would come to believe it. But no matter how hard I tried, I kept comparing her to you, Harrow. Every time we were together, I imagined it was you.  
“It was unfair of me to put her in such a situation and I was glad that she decided to end things. She deserved better. She deserved to be with someone that would love her in the way a husband should.  
“But, you? There was no reason for you to run like you did. You crippled me, Harrow. I thought I was worthless. I was convinced there must have been something wrong with me because everyone that was close to me tossed me away like I was nothing more than an inconvenience. I never allowed myself to trust anyone after you left me.  
“But I’m ready to tear down the wall that you caused me build around my heart.”

Harrow’s lips parted and he scratched his cheek, letting out a weak laugh. “I, uh, don’t know what to say.”

A smile tugged on Viren’s lips and he let out a sigh. He shook his head then took a step closer to Harrow. Viren put his hand on his old friend’s cheek and leaned down, kissing the corner of Harrow’s mouth. He pulled away, an amused grin spreading across his face at the alarmed expression Harrow gave him. 

“You don’t have to say anything,” Viren replied, suddenly realizing that he truly needed nothing else from Harrow. An apology would have been a waste of words, but that was all that Harrow would have been able to offer him. And Viren certainly cared little about whether or not Harrow approved of his relationship with Aaravos.

“I just want you to know that I’m going to be okay. I’m ready to move on now. So, I guess… Thank you, Harrow,” Viren said. “Thank you for coming back so I could finally get closure.”

Harrow shook his head, folding his arms across his chest. “Viren, it wasn’t my idea to come back. Aaravos was the one that suggested I come clear things up with you before I made up my mind about returning to Katolis.”

“What?”

“He was even the one that paid for my flight here,” Harrow added.

Viren took a step back, feeling his heart race. So Aaravos had known Viren would be with Harrow that evening, even before the elf had sent him a text, asking to see him. Had that been a test to see if Viren would tell him the truth? If it had been, Viren failed terribly. 

But the thought that Aaravos had been testing him pissed him off. Did the elf trust him so little that he would trick him like that? And why would he send Harrow his way if he was so threatened by the man?

Then he recalled Aaravos’ words. 

_“I was only trying to help you. Harrow will never love you, Viren. It’s time you accepted that.”_

When Aaravos had spoken those words, Viren thought they had been said out of malice, but he finally understood. He had been trying to help Viren get closure between him and Harrow. The elf had been trying to tear down the wall around Viren’s heart and, without Viren even noticing, Aaravos had reduced it to all but rubble. 

His eyes met Harrow’s and he mumbled, “I- I have to go.” He turned and started running back to his car without even bothering to say goodbye. 

_You idiot, Viren_ , he cursed himself. 

He may have been in love with Harrow in the beginning, but his feelings had twisted into something else over the years. It was no longer the man that he was in love with, but the _idea_ of being in love with Harrow.

Viren had been convinced he would never— could never— love another person like he had loved Harrow so he tortured himself with that unrequited love to the point where the torment became as natural as breathing air. He became addicted to that suffering. Viren wanted to feel that misery because it was better than the crushing sense of loneliness that he felt otherwise.

Then, along came Aaravos.

The elf’s presence threatened to take away the suffering that Viren had grown so accustomed to and there had been a resistance on his part that he had failed to notice. Viren’s mind had been trying to convince him that he needed Harrow still to hold onto those familiar, comforting feelings of a twisted love, as his heart yearned for Aaravos. 

Letting himself love again would only lead to the heartbreak that Viren felt when Harrow had left. His mind had refused to let him take that risk, no matter what his heart desired. 

But Viren’s heart was screaming now— louder than his mind could block out. 

And it was screaming for Aaravos.


	22. Some Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Runaan offers Viren some advice about his startouch lover.

“Aaravos? It's me. Viren. Again,” he said into his cell, with a sigh. “Please. I need to talk to you. Give me a chance to explain.” He hesitated, not sure what more he could say in this message that he hadn't said in his two previous calls.

With trembling hands, he hung up the phone then covered his face. His whole body began to shake and he gasped for air, feeling as though he were suffocating.

“Viren?”

He looked up, surprised to see Runaan standing at his office door. It was well past the end of the work day and he thought he had been there, alone.

“Runaan? What are you still doing here? It's late. You should go home,” Viren told him, sitting up in his chair. He cleared his throat, wondering how long the elf had been standing there.  
He leaned against the doorframe, looking hesitant to reply, but eventually said, “After what happened today, I was worried about you.” 

Viren scoffed. “Worried that you would have to sit through another apology lecture? Or that you might not be fortunate enough to be down in the warehouse, chatting to Tinker, the next time Aaravos decides to have his way with me?”

Runaan shook his head, an angered snarl passing between his lips. “I said I was worried about _you_ , Viren. Not myself. Though, I certainly hope there won’t be a next time.”

Viren’s face fell and he looked down at his phone, which had no new notifications to indicate that Aaravos had replied to any of his texts, phone calls, _Photogram_ direct messages, or emails. 

“Yeah, well. Looks like you will get your wish,” he replied, quietly, turning his phone over. 

Runaan ran a hand through his hair and added, “As much as I dislike Aaravos, I hate to see you upset. If you don't mind, I would like to offer you some advice?”

Viren nodded. 

Runaan stepped inside the office and took a seat in the chair across from him. His gaze went down to the desk, no doubt remembering that Aaravos had fucked him there earlier that afternoon. He frowned then looked back up at Viren, crossing his legs.

“I mentioned to you before that catching the attention of a startouch elf was dangerous,” Runaan started. “That's because they... Hm, how should I put it? When they choose a partner, they become overbearingly possessive. Obsessed, even.” 

His eyes drifted down to the desk again, but there was curiosity in his stare instead of disgust. He put his hands on his calf and said, “If I had to wager a guess, I would say Aaravos has his heart set on you?”

Viren shifted in discomfort. Did Runaan truly want to know about his relationship with Aaravos or was he being rhetorical? After a moment's pause, Viren leaned forward and admitted, “He told me he was in love with me.”

Runaan seemed unsurprised, simply letting out a hum of acknowledgment. He cocked his head to the side ever so slightly, rubbing his chin in consideration. 

“Aaravos seemed upset when he left today, and, judging from the phone call I just overheard, I can only assume you were the cause of his distress.”

Viren groaned, slumping further into his seat. “I don’t know what to do, Runaan. I hesitated when Aaravos asked me if I loved him. I was confused. I needed closure with Harrow, but it might be too late now. Aaravos won’t return my calls so I can’t tell him that I…” He covered his face with his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. “I fucked up.”

Runaan sighed. 

The elf pushed himself out of his seat and walked over to Viren. He knelt down and leaned forward so his face was beneath the human’s. There was a sympathetic smile on his face.

“It’s going to take more than that for a startouch elf to give up on his chosen one. If Aaravos isn’t replying to your calls, there must be a reason.”

Viren straightened, letting himself feel a sense of hope.

“Really?”

Runaan nodded and answered, “I’m certain of it. And here is my advice to you: be honest with Aaravos. Share with him whatever it is on your mind. Even if you think your thoughts are inconsequential. Let Aaravos be part of your life. Not just with _this_ ,” Runaan pointed to Viren’s crotch, “but with _this_ , as well.” The elf put a hand over Viren’s heart. 

Their eyes met and Runaan offered him a genuine smile that Viren mirrored. It was nice to be able to speak to Runaan like this again and he hoped that this conversation was a sign that their friendship was beginning to heal. 

“Thank you, Runaan.”

The elf stood and let out a short breath. He motioned his head to the door and asked, “Do you feel like joining us at the pub again? The others left a couple of hours ago, but Tinker said everyone is still there. Apparently, everyone needed a drink after today’s meeting about sexual conduct in the workplace.”

Viren laughed weakly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. “I appreciate the invitation, but I’m going to stay here for a little bit longer.”

“Okay. You know where to find us if you change your mind,” Runaan said and lingered by the door for a moment. “Good luck, Viren.”

He watched Runaan walk to his desk and pick up his jacket. The elf waved goodbye as he headed to the elevator, then Viren was alone again.

His eyes took in the silent office and he inhaled a deep breath then slowly exhaled. There was no point in remaining there any longer. He had hoped that Aaravos would come see him, but that was clearly not going to be the case.

Feeling his hope fade away, Viren flipped through his paperwork until he found the parking ticket that had been left under his windshield wiper at the airport. Following the instructions on the fine, Viren went to make an online payment and heard the elevator doors slid open.

He peered over his computer, expecting to see Runaan, who perhaps forgot something, but a disheveled Aaravos rounded the corner. The elf looked as relieved as Viren felt when he laid eyes upon the human.

“Viren!” 

He ran into the office and embraced him tightly.

“I am so glad you were still here,” Aaravos said, burying his face into the crook of Viren’s neck. “When I came back earlier, Gren said you had left for the evening so I went to your apartment, but no one was there. So I waited for what felt like hours. I couldn’t even call you because I forgot my phone at your place this morning.” He pulled away and cupped Viren’s face in his hands. “I feel terrible about this afternoon.”

Viren leaned his head into Aaravos’ hands and smiled, unable to stop the overwhelming relief from washing over him. He kissed the elf’s palm.

“I’m sorry if I pushed you too much,” Aaravos whispered.

Viren shook his head. “I needed to be pushed.” He wrapped his arms around Aaravos’ neck and pulled the elf down, giving him a tender kiss.


	23. Ground Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viren and Aaravos sit down for a much needed discussion, but they end up get a little... distracted. Then Aaravos suggests something that could change their relationship forever.

Soren and Claudia were still out when they arrived at Viren’s apartment, which was a relief. They would be able to talk in peace. 

“There you are,” Aaravos said, reaching under the couch. He pulled his phone free then glanced at Viren, after noticing all of the messages and voicemails he had left. Then he smirked, climbing back onto his feet. “Did you miss me that much?” he asked. 

Viren’s face went red and he muttered, “I already told you on the way over here. I thought you were mad at me.”

Aaravos slipped the phone in his suit jacket and walked over to Viren. He started unbuttoning the human’s shirt, but Viren gently clutched Aaravos’ hands, stopping him.

“Wait,” he ordered. “We need to talk.”

The elf’s smile turned into a frown and he took a step back. “Those are never good words when said together,” he replied, weakly. 

Viren tugged Aaravos forward, dragging him to the couch. They sat and Viren let out a deep breath, while Aaravos stared at him with an anxious expression. 

“First of all, if we are going to be together, there needs to be some ground rules,” Viren started, and Aaravos immediately perked up, clearly surprised that this turned out to be anything but a breakup talk.

“No more sex at the office,” Viren demanded. 

Aaravos nodded and replied, “Okay. No sex at the office… unless it’s after hours?”

Viren’s lips parted in exasperation, but his argument lodged itself in his throat. He paused, but added, “Fine, but only if we lock the main door so no one can come back inside.”

Aaravos smiled. “This is fun. What’s the next rule?”

“No more games. Let’s both be honest and upfront with one another.”

The elf’s grin faltered and he cleared his throat. “Listen, Viren, I, uh, apologize if I mishandled the situation between you and Harrow. I thought that if you saw him again that you might get some sense of closure. I never thought that you might try to pursue him again.”

Viren put a hand over Aaravos’ mouth, silencing him. He shook his head and said, “Don’t apologize. I’m glad that you convinced Harrow to come talk to me and I did get the closure I needed. That’s way I left work early.”

Aaravos scowled against Viren’s hand. He started to speak so Viren moved his hand away. 

“You went to go see him?”

“Yes. To tell him that I was over him. That I was with you now,” he answered. Viren hesitated, but moved forward, crawling onto Aaravos’ lap. His legs straddled the elf’s thighs. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner, but I know for certain now.”

Aaravos stared up at him, searching his face for some sort of clue as to what Viren was certain about. 

The human took another deep breath and whispered, “I… I love you, Aaravos.”

Before his brain had even registered that Aaravos had moved, Viren felt the elf’s arms wrap around his torso and their mouths pressed against one another in a passionate kiss. The elf’s tongue forced its way between Viren’s lips and gently caressed the roof of his mouth. 

Reluctantly, Viren pushed him away. “Wait,” he gasped. “I’m not done going over the rules.”

Aaravos silenced him with another kiss then pulled away and said, “Tell them to me later. Whatever you wish, it will be yours, my love.”

Viren bit his lip and crawled off of the couch. He went to the door and locked it, despite both of his children owning a set of keys. Before he could turn around, Aaravos pinned him to the door with his body and hummed into his ear. 

“This reminds me of the first time we were intimate with one another,” he whispered, placing his hand on Viren’s stomach. 

A wave of arousal coursed through his body and Viren ached to feel Aaravos’ fingers around his hardening dick. Lucky for him, that must have been what the elf longed for, too, because his hand forced its way into Viren’s pants. His body shuddered as Aaravos started stroking. 

“You still reek of pheromones,” the elf told him. 

Viren blushed, embarrassed, and put his hands against the door to steady himself as he slowly started to lose control of his body.

Aaravos suddenly stopped, hand slipping out of Viren’s pants.

“Wh-why did you stop?” Viren demanded, panting. 

As an answer, Aaravos took his hand and gently kissed it. His golden eyes met Viren’s and he said, “Let’s go to your bedroom so I can take proper care of you.” He pulled Viren towards his room without waiting for a reply.

The elf gently pushed Viren down and immediately went to work on removing the human’s pants. He tossed them aside and spread Viren’s legs apart.

Watching him with curiosity, Viren wondered why Aaravos had yet to remove his own clothing. Then his eyes widened as Aaravos leaned forward and licked the base of his balls. 

“Nngh,” he groaned.

Aaravos’ tongue trailed down his inner thigh and he started sucking on the sensitive skin. Ignoring Viren’s pathetic pleas for him to stop, Aaravos pressed his tongue against Viren’s hole. The human arched his back and his hands grabbed onto Aaravos’ horns.

“Fuck, that feels good,” Viren gasped and Aaravos looked up at him as he drew circles with his tongue. The sight of the elf pleasuring him took his breath away. He cocked his head and asked, “How did I get so lucky?”

Aaravos simply smirked in response, hands holding onto Viren’s trimmed waist. He pushed his tongue inside, making his human moan loudly. The elf pulled back and let out a satisfied hum. 

“Do you know how erotic your moans are, Viren? They get me hard every time I hear them.”

Viren looked up at him, not sure if he should offer the elf an apology or not. Aaravos clearly expected none, as he wasted no time in unzipping his pants. His cock was twitching, begging to be encompassed by Viren.

The human reached down, pulling his cheeks apart, granting permission for Aaravos to defile him. The elf forced himself in, eyes fluttering closed briefly, as the pleasure overtook him.

He started thrusting, hitting deep right off the bat. 

Viren flinched, surprised, but moaned with bliss, enjoying the roughness. Encouraged, Aaravos quickened his pace, making Viren cry out with every thrust. It felt like the elf might puncture his insides, but Viren was beyond caring. The movement felt so good that even if Aaravos destroyed him, he would have thanked him for it.

“Ahn,” Aaravos wheezed. “I’m close.” His movements slowed and the elf tightened his grasp around Viren’s waist. He let out a cry as he came then collapsed onto Viren. His short breaths tickled the human’s exposed skin. 

“Can we make it a rule to do this every evening?” Aaravos asked after regaining part of his breath. 

Viren laughed, fondly running his fingers through Aaravos’ hair. “I’m not as young as you, you know.”

Aaravos pushed himself up, raising an eyebrow. “I’m older than you, Viren.”

The human rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.” 

Aaravos leaned forward, kissing Viren’s lips gently. He smiled and replied, “I do. But I still want that to be a rule. I just want you to be by my side every time I fall asleep, Viren.”

His face turned red and Viren inhaled sharply. What was Aaravos suggesting?

As though reading his thoughts, the elf added, “You can move into my place.”

Viren crawled out from under him, feeling a sense of panic. “Whoa, hold on. I can’t just move in, Aaravos.”

“Why not?”

“Well, for starters, I can’t just leave Soren and Claudia here on their own,” Viren explained.

“They can come, too. There are three other bedrooms for them to choose from. Conveniently, on the other side of the house so we could be as loud as we wanted,” Aaravos said, dragging his finger along the skin of Viren’s thigh.

“Aaravos, I…” Viren started. He wondered if it would be all that bad to move in with Aaravos. His children would have a much nicer place to call home and it might be nice to have another person around to help with the housework. Granted, there would be a lot more house to clean up. 

The most appealing part of the notion, would be coming home to someone he loved every night. Viren would never feel that loneliness that had nearly consumed him after Harrow left. But there was a fear that was making him hesitate. What if they ended up fighting all the time? What if Aaravos one day decided that he had made a mistake and kicked Viren out? That would be a pain he doubted he would ever recover from.

“What’s wrong, my love?”

Viren swallowed and answered, “I’m afraid.”

The elf stroked his cheek. “Of what?”

“That one day this will all be over and the walls will go back up. That you will look at me in disgust, wondering how you could ever love someone like me.”

To his surprise, Aaravos laughed. “Do you honestly believe that would happen?”

Viren paused, but nodded.

Aaravos sighed. “Well then. I guess I’m going to have to prove to you just how much I love you.”


	24. Always With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of the arc, but there is one more post going up tomorrow that will bring everything to a close. I can't thank you guys enough for reading this fic and for all the support you've given me along the way!

Soren spat out the water he had just taken a sip of. He started coughing, clutching onto the fabric of his pyjama top.

Claudia gently patted his back, but kept her eyes focused on her father. She was staring at him with concern that she was futilely trying to suppress. 

“Don’t you think it’s a little too soon for that, Dad?” she asked, glancing at Aaravos, who was sitting next to her father at the circular kitchen table. 

Viren entwined his fingers together, resting his hands on the table. “Perhaps,” he admitted. “But it’s a step that Aaravos and I are ready to take. However, it’s not our decision alone. The two of you must be comfortable with this decision, as well.”

The two children exchanged glances, neither one of them quite knowing how to respond. 

Finally, Claudia said, “If you are certain then I’ll support your decision.” She gave him a weak smile. “I just want you to be happy, Dad, and if this is what will make you happy then I’m all for it.”

Soren stood and started pacing around the kitchen. He paused, looking at Aaravos in scrutiny, then started pacing again. 

“Soren?” Viren pressed.

His son stopped and let out an exasperated breath. “I want to support you, Dad, but you can’t just dump this on us. What does it even mean, this bonding thing you’re talking about?”  
Aaravos rested his chin against his knuckles, an amused smile on his face. He considered Soren for a moment then put his hand down, over Viren’s.

“Startouch elves have a unique ability,” he explained, placing his fingers over his chest, where Viren knew that black void resided. “We can split our hearts with our chosen partners. It ties us together for eternity.”

Soren scratched his head. “I still don’t get it. How do you live with half a heart? And how does Dad get half of your heart in him? Does he eat it or something?”

Viren sighed. “It’s not literal, Son.”

Soren leaned against the kitchen counter, still clearly confused.

“Think of it as an elven vow, Sorbear,” Claudia tried. She tapped her lips with a finger in thought then looked at Aaravos. “Like a human marriage ceremony?”

“Only more permanent than the traditions of humanity,” the elf added, with a nod. 

“Sooo… Aaravos would be, what? Our second dad?” Soren asked.

The elf’s eyes widened, as though he was only just realizing that by bonding with Viren, Claudia and Soren would become tied to his life, as well.

Soren’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Two dads means double the presents on birthdays.” He pound a fist into his palm, chuckling. “I’m all for this idea.”

Claudia reached over, putting her hand over Aaravos and Viren’s. She smiled and nodded. “You both have our support.”

Viren gave his children a grateful smile then turned to Aaravos. “Are you sure you want to do this? I can’t bind myself to you in return.”

“Do you plan on leaving me?”

The human’s face turned red with embarrassment. “Well, no, but—”

“—It’s fine Viren. I have never felt more certain about anything else in my life,” Aaravos said, standing up. He started to unbutton his shirt and Viren rose, alarmed.

“You’re doing this now? Here?” he exclaimed. 

The elf looked taken aback. “Did you want to wait?”

Viren looked around the kitchen, feeling like this was an inadequate place for such an intimately important act. Did the startouch elves not hold a ceremony when they bound themselves to one another? It just seemed like it would be a bit more formal than this.

“Um, no,” Viren answered.

Aaravos pulled his shirt open and his fingers pressed against the black void on his chest. A bright blue light radiated off his skin and his normally golden eyes were blocked out by a matching glow. When he pulled his fingers away, a trail of light followed. 

The quiet room filled with the sound of a heart beating.

Viren watched, mesmerized, as Aaravos’ fingers spread across his chest. His hand was surprisingly hot and the light under his palms seemed to be burrowing into Viren’s skin. He gasped, as a tingling sensation filled his body, and his eyes opened wide, the blue light temporarily blinding him.

Then, Aaravos pulled his hand away, but Viren could still feel the warmth of his presence— still hear the beating of the elf’s heart mingling with his own.

“Now I am always with you, my love,” he said.

Viren put his hand over his heart and stared up at Aaravos with affection. He loved the elf standing before him more than he thought possible. Viren was utterly and completely enthralled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some creative liberties with this chapter. Since it's already set in an alternate universe, I figured why not? I just really like the idea of the black marking on the startouch elves to be connected to their hearts in some way and wanted to play around with that idea.


	25. One Year Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last update for The Viravos Office! It's been a fun ride :D   
> Please check out my other work on Ao3, Strings of Fate are Cruel and Tangled, which features a young Aaravos who starts to dream about a mysterious mirror and a human man reflected within.  
> I also have more plans for Viravos smut (like my Vegas!AU) so please keep an eye out for that in the future! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Viren scowled, gripping the steering wheel tightly. He rolled his eyes and said, “I told you, Aaravos. I’m almost there. Traffic was a bit worse than I thought it was going to be.”

The elf’s voice filled his ear again, “Please hurry, my love. Everyone is waiting.”

He felt a pang of anxiety in his heart and smiled to himself. “Don’t be nervous, my star,” Viren told him. “This day is all about us. Everyone can wait, for all I care.”

The elf chuckled then let out a relieved sigh. The worry lifted from Viren’s heart, as Aaravos calmed down. 

It had taken awhile for Viren to get used to feeling a portion of Aaravos’ emotions, but it had helped him come to understand the elf greatly. Whenever Aaravos felt worried or insecure, Viren was sure to call him to make sure everything was okay.

After a couple of weeks, Aaravos had given him what he called an _aarapod_ — a bluetooth earbud so they could chat throughout the day with more ease.

Of course, nothing could make dealing with Aaravos’ constant horniness easier. Every time they spoke to one another, Viren could feel the desire in Aaravos’ heart, and that only grew tenfold whenever the elf laid eyes on him. Though Viren pretended Aaravos’ arousal annoyed him, it secretly warmed his heart to know that his lover still lusted for him with such vehemence.

“I’m just parking now. I will see you soon,” Viren said, pushing down on the _aarapod_ to end the conversation.

His eyes drifted up to the temple ruins, of a time long since past and his heart started to pound in his chest with a nervous excitement. Not wanting to make Aaravos wait any longer, Viren grabbed the small parcel on the passenger’s seat then pushed open the car door. He slammed it shut and leaned down, smoothing out his hair in the sideview mirror. 

With a deep breath, he started walking up the hill. 

A few people noticed him coming and waved. Viren spotted Gren, talking to Harrow’s sister-in-law near the entrance to the ruins. Amaya had been surprised that the human resources representative had known sign language and the two had been spending a lot of time together, which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because Gren seemed to be a little more lenient on the rules at the office lately. A curse because it meant Amaya was around often and she seemed to harbour a great disliking to both Aaravos and Viren. 

When Viren had asked Harrow about it, his friend had shrugged and murmured something about telling her all about the lewd phone call he had been subjected to.

Runaan and Tinker were helping Ezran make a flower crown for his odd looking pet, Bait. 

Claudia and Callum were near the garden to the right of the temple. They had grown close in the year that Harrow’s family had been in Katolis. It was clear that the boy was smitten with her, but whenever Viren asked his daughter about their relationship, she insisted they were just friends. For now.

Viren searched the area for his son and sighed when he saw him chasing after Runaan’s ward, Rayla. The two of them always seemed to be fighting about something. Soren tried to tackle the younger elf, but she managed to dodge and he landed roughly on the grassy ground. Rayla extended her hand, which Soren took after a moment’s hesitation, and she helped him back on his feet. 

“Viren!” 

Harrow ran over to him, a relieved smile on his face. “I was afraid you weren’t going to show up.” His eyes went down to the parcel in Viren’s hands. “You got them?”

Viren nodded, looking down at the package with pride. “They finished them this morning.”

Harrow patted Viren on the back then started to push him up the hill. “I’m glad. But you have a very impatient elf waiting for you. Let’s not make him angry.”

They walked up the hill and Crow Master nearly barrelled right into them as he ran outside of the temple entrance. He had a panicked look on his face.

“Have you seen Jotter?” he asked, looking around. 

“Your bird?” Harrow sputtered. “You brought your bird with you?”

Crow Master frowned. “Of course I did. And she’s a crow, Harrow. Uh, sir.” He pushed past them with a groan. “Here, Jotter! Come back to daddy.”

Viren looked at Harrow in alarm. “How many crows do you think he’s lost?” 

Harrow shrugged, “Who knows. You’d think with his wages, he’d invest in a leash or something. Lords know, the boy can afford it.” They watched him head over to the tree-line and Harrow murmured, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. You go see Aaravos.”

His friend hurried after Crow Master, leaving Viren alone at the entrance of the temple ruins. He stepped inside and took in a deep breath. The scent of flowers filled his nostrils and his eyes shut, indulging in the beautiful smell. 

Viren felt an overwhelming sensation of awe and he opened his eyes, turning his head to look at the cause of the emotion. 

Aaravos was standing just down the corridor, lips parted with surprise. 

Viren bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck in a bashful manner. This was the first time Aaravos was seeing Viren in a tuxedo and he had expected the elf to grace him with the usual horny reaction, but there was nothing but reverence for his lover.

“You… You look so handsome, Viren,” Aaravos stuttered, taking a couple steps closer to him. 

Viren shot him a grateful grin, which quickly faded when his heart filled with arousal. 

Aaravos gave him a helpless shrug. “I can’t help it, my love. You are quite stunning in those clothes… I just want to rip them off of you.”

Rolling his eyes, Viren tried to suppress his smile. He walked up to Aaravos and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. 

“I have something for you,” he said, pulling out a rectangular, velvet covered box. Holding it out before Aaravos, Viren pulled the lid up, showing his lover the contents inside.

“Rings?” the elf asked, looking at Viren. 

The human nodded, picking up the gold band with the thin ring of silver in the middle. He held it up, showing Aaravos an engraving inside. 

“ _My star_ ,” he read and smiled. He picked up the second ring, the silver band with the gold around the centre. “ _My love_.” His heart was filled with bliss. “They are beautiful, Viren.”

“I know you weren’t too keen on having this whole wedding ceremony, nor do you really care for human traditions, but I really wanted to make this special somehow for both of us.”

Aaravos pressed a finger against Viren’s mouth, silencing him. “They are perfect, my love. And, all of this?” Aaravos gestured to the temple ruins that were decorated with white and lilac flowers, candles and elven talismans. “All of this is perfect. I am glad you convinced me to partake in your traditions.” He placed his hand on Viren’s cheek, taking in the sight of his husband to be. “I understand the appeal of such a ceremony now.”

Viren beamed a smile up at him.

Harrow’s voice filled the ruins, calling for everyone to come inside so the wedding could beginning now that both grooms were here. 

Viren watched as their guests fill up the rows of chairs. His heart filled with warmth as he saw all those he cared for gathered to celebrate his relationship with Aaravos.

“Are you ready, my love?” the elf whispered. 

Viren glanced up at Aaravos and nodded. “Of course, my star.” He kissed Aaravos again then gently pulled him to the carpeted aisle. “You bound yourself to me. Now let me bind myself to you.”

Aaravos smiled. “Hearts joined together for eternity.”

**Author's Note:**

> Be gentle! This is my first time writing smut haha ^^;


End file.
